Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Friday, May 25, 2007

FORT SIMPSON - When it comes to saying no to sugary, carbonated drinks for a cause, students in the Deh Cho are at the top of the game.

Four schools in the Deh Cho received awards during the Drop the Pop contest that challenged students to say no to pop during a two-week period from March 12-23.

A total of 33 schools across the territory took part in the second annual challenge. Two Deh Cho schools won awards for having the most participation in their population category.

At Kakisa Lake school, all eight students gave up pop and helped the school win in the less than 50 students category.

Almost all of the students made it through the entire two weeks without drinking pop, said teacher Sheila Hilliard.

Giving up pop was harder for some students that others, especially the teenagers, said Hilliard. A few of the students had brief lapses but then gave up pop again.

With the $1,000 prize they received for winning their category on top of the $1,000 given just for participating, the students will be creating a healthy snack program for the rest of the school year.

Bompas elementary school students in Fort Simpson also distinguished themselves by winning in the 127 to 176 students category. All the classes had the opportunity to participate, although not every student decided to, said Terry Jaffray, the school's principal.

At the Louie Norwegian school in Jean Marie River students took the challenge one step further.

In addition to dropping the pop, the students also participated in a cooking program called Little LNS Chiefs.

All 15 students at the school stopped drinking pop for two weeks. The contest has a positive impact, said George Urban, one of the teachers at the school.

Students were more willing to drink water, juice and milk during the two weeks. Without pop, they seemed more settled and eager to learn, he said.

"It has a positive impact on their health," said Urban about the contest.

In addition to benefits for the students, awareness spread into the community as parents supported the challenge, he said.

"We had great support by the community," said Urban.

With the $1,000 entry prize, teachers George and Linda Urban created the cooking program. Students learned about healthy food choices, how to read labels and the Canada Food Guide. They also got to try their skills in the kitchen.

Students made a number of recipes that they were allowed to take home including tuna casserole. They also learned how to cook some Italian dishes.

None of the students had tried Italian food before and during the program they got to try antipasto, ripe olives, ravioli and healthy homemade pizzas, said Urban.

To display their cooking skills, the students held a food fair for community members.

The students loved cooking, said Urban.

"They're always amazed that different ingredients come together to make these things," he said.

With their program, the Jean Marie River students received a special Drop the Pop school award for nutritional activities. A second award for promoting nutrition was given to Thomas Simpson school for programs including experiments to show the benefits of healthy eating and exercise.