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235 Hope Road, Tinton Falls, NJ 07724  /  732.542.4777

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Lower School Promotes Healthy Eating with Fun Activities

Healthy living is important and aids in properly supporting a child's academic, social and physical development. Ranney School in Tinton Falls encourages students to embrace healthy living; a healthy lifestyle encompasses many aspects of school life such as a love of learning, responsible citizenship, constant physical activity, proper health and hygiene habits, good character and overall emotional wellness. Emotional wellness includes making good decisions, living honorably and abiding by ethical practices. Another significant part of the school’s health and wellness education program includes nutrition education.

To complement classroom instruction and the developmental stages of its students, Ranney arranges for Lower School students to receive health and wellness education through curriculum and classroom instruction, during Physical Education classes, and at attend health seminars throughout the school year. Seminars are conducted by school nurses, Physical Education staff members, guest speakers, and lecturers and are planned in conjunction with the Lower School administration. Ranney School believes that health and wellness education is both “taught and caught.” Instruction is important, but modeling healthy living is imperative. In conjunction with the various health and wellness programs that Ranney has implemented campus wide, the school’s dining service, FLIK, recently developed a nutrition program available to Lower School students.

As a means of promoting healthy eating habits, developing an enjoyment of fruits and vegetables, teaching the origins of whole foods, and introducing the taste buds to new and exotic dishes, students are offered a behind-the-scenes look at Ranney’s cafeteria this school year. Led by Chef Chris DiStefano, each class tours the Lower School’s kitchen, receives their own chefs hats and discusses the value of nutrition. “This program is actively getting our students involved during meal time at Ranney School,” said Lower Head of School and Associate Head for Academic Administration Patricia Marshall.

Aside from taking health and nutrition quizzes, appearing at food tastings and attending monthly cooking classes, Lower School students also participate in a “Chef for a Day” drawing. Named in December, Ranney’s first “Chef for a Day” was Trinity Dalmazio, a member of the Class of 2019 from Leonardo, NJ. Dressed in her very own chef’s coat and hat, Trinity had the honor of creating the Lower School’s lunch menu for a day, which included beef orzo soup and fresh summer fruit salad to start, such entrees as flank stank with rice and grilled chicken wraps, and frozen yogurt for dessert.

The purpose of the program is to teach students all about food, from whole forms to cooking combinations, and to allow them to enjoy food tasting. As a part of the process, students learn differences between fruits and vegetables and also learn how to create a balanced diet that includes the proper intake of proteins and carbohydrates. Students also learn the importance of maintaining a healthy kitchen and to respect the varied dietary needs seen in vegetarians, children with allergies or diabetes, and simply “picky eaters.”
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society.