By Lisa, Eat Better Feel Better Nutrition Educator

SMOOTHIES?!

You heard it right. I could hardly believe my finely-tuned nutrition ears when I heard the words “smoothie party” roll off the PTSA president’s tongue. Here’s what happened…

The day before, my co-teacher and I had received an e-mail from the PTSA president of one of the schools we teach nutrition ed in. She’d sent a school-wide note out about the big PTSA fundraiser that was to launch the very next day–you know, where kids sell wrapping paper, or magazines, or cookie dough to earn prizes. All the flashy prizes were outlined in the e-mail ending with the grand finale prize  awarded to the top 3 fundraising classrooms…

An ice cream party!

Needless to say, my co-teacher and I cringed when we saw this e-mail. But, there was nothing we could do. The all-school assembly announcing this sugar-laden celebration was being held the next afternoon, and we were sure ice cream rumors had already spread across school. We wrote a gentle e-mail to the PTSA inquiring their choice of party themes, more out of curiosity of where the idea came from, than to persuade change. We never received an e-mail back…

The next day, we arrived at the all-school assembly and stood on the side, tensely awaiting the grand prize announcement. Students were having a blast seeing all the shiny prizes and the auditorium was ringing with cheers and screams. And then…

“Alright, alright. Quiet signals please. Who wants to hear what the grand prize is? [whooping and hollering ensues] For the three classes who raise the most money, each class will receive…a…SMOOTHIE PARTY!!!“

And the crowd goes absolutely nuts! Students jump to their feet, pounding their fists in the the air, clapping and high fiving each other. And there we are, the Eat Better Feel Better team, mouths agape, in complete and utter shock. We see the PTSA president standing on stage, looking over to us, with the biggest–GOTCHA smile on her face.

After reading our e-mail, the PTSA president took it upon herself to make a healthy decision for her school. And that is exactly why I do what I do. I was inspired by the initiative she took to recognize the importance of reiterating the Eat Better Feel Better message we share with students every day, and finding a delicious and healthy party alternative! She even suggested using our Spinach Smoothie recipe because it is a unanimous favorite among students. Just another story of an EBFB school championing for healthy living! Hooray!