Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 15/02) - It's the kind of thing dentists celebrate and moms smile about. But oh, the kids. Your heart goes out to them.

Schools these days aren't all that different from schools three decades ago. Kids are still sliding behind wooden desks, writing with chubby pencils and watching their teachers write on blackboards.

Oh sure, there are computers now. But that's sort of inevitable. And besides, computers are used as learning tools.

No, the changes we're talking about happen at around 10 a.m. and noon: the times when kids crack open the snacks and lunches for some midday sustenance. Gone are the days of a good Joe Louis or Twinkie at recess. You can't even crack open a can of carbonated sugary stuff at some schools any more.

Worse, if Johnny in the desk to the left has one of them new Lunchables, and mom stuck his neighbour with bologna -- he can't even trade. That's right, the grade school black market is drying up as teachers try to avoid spreading foods to kids with allergies.

Yes, the nutrition invasion has taken schools hostage, and the real casualties are the kids. At N.J. Macpherson, all junk food is considered a "no-no" -- although you won't get expelled for bringing it.

At William MacDonald the canteen has purged Mars bars and Doritos. In their place: granola bars and chocolate milk.

But is it really that bad?

Well, maybe not. Teachers and principals say cutting out sugar during the school day can help keep kids in their seats. And it's also about using snacks as a way to teach something of life-long importance: healthy eating.

It has other spinoffs, too. At N.J. Macpherson, teachers used a trash-free lunch day to teach math, creating graphs to display data collected on the amount of trash that actually made it to school.

There's a serious side to the matter: peanuts and peanut products have been banned from several schools, while others enforce strict bans on specific classrooms.

Good food is also good for the dentist. Hassan Adam says kids' teeth have been getting better.

"Most of the kids coming out of schools here in Yellowknife have hardly any cavities," said the owner of Adam Dental Clinic. "The schools have been very vigilant in making sure kids are educated in taking care of their teeth."

And while healthy eating rules may be new at schools, it's getting easier to eat well without being grossed out. Parents are sending their kids to school with Thermoses packed with soup and even perogies, so the food is still warm come lunch time.

Add to that parents who weren't happy with their own food while they were in school, and you've got a recipe for a decent lunch.

"I used to get Cheez Whiz and grape jelly sandwiches," said Lisa Harvey, who has two sons in grade school.

"Isn't that awful? My kids do far better than I did."