Some of the best learning happens while doing, and that is exactly what is occurring at Centre Wellington District High School.
The Grade 12 Challenge and Change in Society class is in the process of analyzing data from surveys they designed under the guidance of teacher Diane Ballantyne.
In support of a Good Food for All grant, obtained by chef Christopher Jess last spring, Ballantyne used five focus areas (water, sugar, raw/whole food, processed food and fibre) to better understand the nutrition knowledge and awareness of the students at CWDHS.
“Effective social policy comes from collecting good data. That’s what we are doing here … collecting, analyzing and providing insight into where gaps in knowledge exist and where we can best focus our energy and resources.”
The school has not seen a survey of this size and scope in a very long time, if ever, she stated.
“The opportunity to teach students about how to conduct original research that will be used in a project, in the same school year, was an incredible opportunity. This allows the class to see their work inform decisions being made. That is real-life learning,” she said.
Chef Jess, the lead for the grant and its implementation throughout the school community, is keen to see the data.
“The questions Diane’s class came up with will reveal a real insight into the eating lives of our students and give us a unique opportunity to respond with some focussed information campaigns.”
The grant was given to CWDHS as part of the Ministry of Education’s Healthy Eating in Secondary Schools fund in March.
The data will be presented to the community at the Good Food for All conference, April 27. The conference will host to a group of student leaders from all 13 high schools in the Upper Grand District School Board and will have a keynote presentation by journalist and author, Sarah Elton.
KAP Design, a communications firm from Guelph was also involved and provided instruction on the creation of infographics. These infographics will be used to support school-wide learning about nutrition and its impact on concentration and performance.
“This is an exciting opportunity to affect positive change in our school and community,” Ballantyne stated.
