Manassas City Public Schools Wins 'Food For Thought' Competition Award

From Manassas City Public Schools:

Manassas City Public Schools (MCPS) was one of five school divisions in the Commonwealth to receive top honors in the 2016 Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) Food for Thought Competition. Winning divisions were recognized by Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe at the VSBA Conference on Education, which took place in Richmond Tuesday.

The competition was divided into three separate categories – Healthy School Meals, Meal Access to Fight Hunger, and Wellness and Physical Activity. MCPS received first place in the Healthy School Meals (Below 10,000 Student Population) category for its Second Chance Breakfast program.

The MCPS Second Chance Breakfast is a program that provides students with another opportunity during the school day to obtain a healthy, nutritious breakfast outside the normal breakfast hours. MCPS currently runs the program at Metz Middle and Mayfield Intermediate schools. The “grab-and-go” option allows students to “refuel” right in their classroom. According to school staff, this is especially beneficial for students who have a later lunch period.

The VSBA created the Food for Thought competition in 2012 to educate, engage, and empower school leaders to address childhood hunger and provide all students in Virginia with healthier, more nutritious school meals. This is the third Food for Thought award for MCPS, having received top recognition in 2012 (Meals Access to Fight Hunger) and 2013 (Wellness and Physical Activity).

The 2016 awards were sponsored by ABM Building & Energy Solutions. Awardees in other categories included public school systems in the cities of Chesapeake and Richmond, and the counties of Isle of Wight and Mecklenburg.

Photo courtesy of Manassas City Public Schools: Pictured left to right: Bill Kidd, VSBA President; Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe; Nathan Botwright, ABM Building & Energy Solution; Dr. Catherine Magouyrk (MCPS Superintendent); and Scott Albrecht (MCPS School Board Vice Chairman).