Yellowknife (Oct 24/03) - Schools in Inuvik are hoping healthy bodies will help build healthier minds.

Acting on an order from the Inuvik District Education Authority, both schools here have banned the sale and possession of junk foods on school grounds, effective Sept. 1.

Sir Alexander Mackenzie elementary school principal Bernie MacLean said the school is taking the new policy in stride.

"I don't think it's a whole new issue for us," MacLean said. "We've always promoted healthy food programs."

The school has had a healthy snack program and offers a breakfast for any child who wants it.

To conform with the new policy there have been a few changes at the school.

"We've emptied out the pop machines and we only use them for special occasions, which we apply to the DEA for," MacLean said.

Teachers and staff have been talking with parents at assemblies and parent-teacher meetings about the policy and he said they have been supportive. Policing has not been a problem.

"If we see kids with pop or snacks we think are unhealthy, we ask them not to do it again," he said. "It hasn't been much of an issue at all."

"We try to use common sense; if a kid brings in a birthday cake, we don't send him home with a note."

The healthy breakfast program feeds between 40 and 50 students each morning.

Paid for entirely by the Inuvik Community Corporation's Brighter Futures program and served by volunteers, the program has been in operation for three years.

Breakfast is served from 8:15 a.m. until 8:50 a.m. when the bell rings.

Resistance at high school

Peter Hough, principal of Samuel Hearne Senior Secondary school said in his five weeks on the job, they have made a few changes to adapt to the new policy, but it has been met with a lot of resistance.

The school had three vending machines, one was taken out, one is empty and the other sells only fruit juice and water.

"It's raised several major problems within the school," Hough said. "We can't prevent them from drinking coffee or eating chips; I can't be the policeman."

"If a student comes in with a pop and a bag of chips telling me it's his breakfast, am I to take that off him?"

The high school does not have a breakfast program, but does provide juice and a cereal bar in the morning.

"A lot of kids access that, but we haven't got a canteen to provide healthy foods here," he said. "They go to the corner store and buy chips and pop."

He said the policy has become a delicate subject with parents.

"We can't be self-righteous and say, 'This is what I do, you should do it too,'" Hough said.

He feels the larger health issue is with students smoking. He's working on a communications plan to deal with the "ethical dilemma" of students smoking on school grounds.

"If you tell them they can't smoke on school grounds, they will just go out back where we can't see them, at least here, we can keep an eye on them," he said. "If they go off the property, they're just going to get into more trouble."

The reality is the students will smoke if they want to, but he feels the school can do more to educate about the dangers of smoking.

"Rather than say, 'You will not smoke,' we'll try to give them reasons why they shouldn't smoke and promote healthy lifestyles."