NJEA Awards Grant to Nishuane Elementary in School in Montclair

Graduate students in Assistant Professor of Nutrition Lauren Dinour’s Current Applications in Nutrition (NUFD 580) course were recently notified that a grant they had written to help schoolchildren learn more about cooking and healthy eating was awarded. The graduate students worked in groups to write grant proposals on behalf of the Nishuane Elementary School in Montclair to expand upon their school garden program. The grant was awarded from the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) for the purposes of introducing in-class cooking demonstrations to K-2 students via a Kitchen-on-a-Cart apparatus.

As described in the grant proposal, the program would introduce students to food preparation skills by holding monthly cooking lessons led by volunteer parents utilizing the current school garden’s fresh fruits and vegetables. Grant funds would be used to purchase the “Kitchen a la Cart” system, an existing model which has had success in the classroom. The cart includes everything needed to prepare meals right inside the classroom; an induction burner, blender, sink, cutting boards, and cooking equipment. A curriculum is included which can assist teachers in incorporating the program into their lesson plans and help volunteer parents lead their cooking lessons. The recipes used would incorporate seasonal produce from the garden and reflect the diverse student population.

As part of Dr. Dinour’s course, students researched the literature, visited the school, consulted with the PTA members, and presented their projects to those who ultimately submitted the grant. Each group focused on a different aspect of the school garden program and wrote applications that were subsequently sent to four different funders. The students responsible for successful NJEA grant are: Elizabeth Sasso-Karelitsky, Meagan Savarese, Danxia Shi, Marie Theagene, and Jennifer Tyler.