High Performing NYC Elementary School Also All Vegetarian!

One of the highest performing elementary schools, P.S. 244, in Flushing, Queens is also one of the only schools in New York City to serve all vegetarian meals in the cafeteria…coincidence? I think not.

The decision to serve all vegetarian meals came from the school’s co-founder, Principal Robert Groff, who believes the school’s high performance and healthy diet are inextricably linked.

“It’s not about diet,” Groff explained, “but about something broader.”

Switching to a meatless menu seemed like a natural choice to make as the schools was also partnered with Fan4Kids, a non-profit that works to sponsor nutrition education programs in low-income schools.

P.S. 244, also called The Active Learning Elementary school serves 428 children and the response to the vegetarian lunch switch seems to have been seamlessly accepted by them all. In fact, many of the students were bringing all-vegetarian meals in their lunch pails before the cafeteria went completely meatless.

Every day a menu with an “eat your colors” section is put up to guide students on which vegetables they can combine to get a variety of nutrients into their diet. Learning about a healthy diet fits into the school’s larger goal to promote a healthy lifestyle. When all of the pieces between diet, lifestyle and the larger environmental impact are put together, the school-wide switch to a vegetarian diet seems like an absolute no brainer.

Image source: Celine De Gussem/Flickr