A healthy start
Breakfast a staple meal at Tusarvik School in Naujaat
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
NAUJAAT
Staff members pitched in to provide a special pancake breakfast for students at Tusarvik School in Naujaat this past month.
Learning coach teacher Dianne Bolt helps prepare breakfast for students at Tusarvik School in Naujaat this past month. - photo courtesy of Julia MacPherson |
The breakfast was made possible in part by contributions from a group in Ontario (Feeding Our Northern Neighbours) that help to provide healthy meals to Naujaat students.
Vice-principal Julia MacPherson said staff members try to hold three or four big breakfasts every year, on top of the school's regular daily breakfast program.
She said the generosity of the Ontario group is greatly appreciated by both students and staff.
"They started a little website called Feeding Nunavut and the woman in charge decided to feature our community," said MacPherson.
"People give donations, and they hold things like flea markets and bake sales, and a cheque for the money raised for our school is sent to me.
"We use the donation to feed the kids, and the extra money helps us go outside of our budget to buy things like a little more fresh fruit, eggs, pancake mix and stuff like that.
"The students get really excited the few times a year we're able to put on one of the special breakfasts."
MacPherson said breakfast is definitely a staple meal in Naujaat.
She said many students really depend on breakfast to get them going in the morning, whether they're in elementary or high school.
"Usually, some of the high school students show up a little later than the other kids, so we make sure we have juice, pieces of toast, fruit, cereal or granola bars waiting for them when they arrive.
"Every staff member takes a turn volunteering to cook breakfast.
"Teachers work a lot of overtime, so having to get up at 6 a.m. to come in at 7 a.m. to cook breakfast can be a little straining at times, but everyone is pretty happy once they get here.
"They enjoy it because they know they're doing it for the kids."
