SPS Food and Nutrition Services Named Massachusetts Wellness Champion
SPS Food and Nutrition to be honored May 21 at the Healthy Kids, Healthy Programs Summit
SALEM (Mar. 26, 2024) – The Food and Nutrition Services Department at Salem Public Schools was named a Massachusetts Wellness Champion by the John C. Stalker Institute of Food and Nutrition at Framingham State College, the Institute announced Monday.
Wellness Champion honors are earned by completing tier 1 and tier 2 of the John C. Stalker Institute/Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) wellness training, a rigorous process that can take several years.
SPS Food and Nutrition Services Director Irvelt Perrin and Assistant Director Michaela Short will be honored at the Healthy Kids, Healthy Programs Summit Tuesday and Wednesday, May 21-22, 2024 at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Norwood, Mass.
Part of the wellness training involves the establishment and implementation of the SPS School Wellness Guidelines, the result of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The purpose of the Act is to ensure and equip all students with the knowledge and skills to develop healthy lifestyles and effective decision-making skills.
“This recognition has been years in development, encompassing current and past leadership in the Food and Nutrition Services Department at Salem Public Schools,” said Mr. Perrin. “This is terrific recognition not just for us, but also for our Student Supports department. Social and emotional learning and food service and nutrition are very closely woven, evident in our District Wellness Policy, which focuses on the students and the whole community.”
The honor is consistent with the District’s Strategic Plan, particularly in its core priorities of elevating learning and centering belonging, specifically in social and emotional learning support for each student.
The John C. Stalker Institute of Food and Nutrition uses current research and technology to educate and inform Massachusetts professionals concerned with child nutrition and healthy nutrition environments. It is named after Mr. Stalker, who served as Director of the Massachusetts Bureau of Nutrition Education and School Food Services between 1945 and 1982.
About Salem Public Schools
Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are all passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens we view all of our work through. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Salem Public Schools enrolls approximately 4,000 students across its eleven schools.
