Kelly Chanay, center, director of KSDE's Child Nutrition and Wellness (CNW) team at the Kansas State Department of Education, presented the 2024-25 Kansans Can Best Practices awards to five CNW program sponsors during the Kansas State Board of Education’s meeting on Oct. 14, in Topeka. 

During National School Lunch week, Oct. 13-17, several Kansas school districts and partner programs were recognized for their efforts to ensure students have healthy, nutritious meals during the school day. 

Kelly Chanay, director of the Child Nutrition and Wellness (CNW) team at the Kansas State Department of Education, presented the 2024-25 Kansans Can Best Practices awards to five CNW program sponsors during the Kansas State Board of Education’s meeting on Oct. 14, in Topeka.  

Chanay introduced the following awardees for their outstanding and/or innovative practices:  

• Humboldt USD 258 - Outstanding Customer Service   
• Madison-Virgil USD 386 - Impact Wellness   
• Coffeyville USD 445 - Serve Local Foods   
• JC Family Home Association, Junction City - Serve Local Foods   
• Lakemary Center, Paola - Serve Local Foods   

Chanay said before Humboldt USD 258 began participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) in January of 2024, the district had several households that had accrued debt from unpaid meals. District staff members came up with the idea to sell heart-shaped cookies for Valentine’s Day and raised over $3,000 to pay off the debt. 

“We asked that each household pay $20 towards the bill, if possible, and then the funds raised paid the remaining balance,” said Tara Stewart, director of Humboldt USD 258’s food service. “My staff and I worked hard at taking orders, baking, writing the messages on the cookies and delivering to all the buildings.” 

Madison-Virgil USD 386 has implemented several wellness initiatives related to nutrition, physical activity, staff wellness, and integrated wellness and community.  

In addition to the fresh fruit and vegetable bars offered daily as part of the school lunch program, the district has partnered with Madison Parks and Recreation to make physical activities available after school and on weekends.  

The district was also identified as a Farm to School Census Superstar in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s most recent Farm to School Census report. 

Casey Worden, director of food service for Coffeyville USD 445, said when she began working for the district in southeast Kansas, she asked whether the meal service program could transition to making more food from scratch. 

“I was asked how we were going to do that and I said, ‘we’re just going to rip the band-aid off,” she told board members. “It is a lot of convincing people to be patient but after a year, we’re getting less visits to the nurse’s station, our kids at the early learning center are now taking naps, we’ve got better behaviors in classrooms and I believe the test scores are coming up and that’s what you want.” 

The district, recognized as a Farm to Plate Superstar, also operates a hydroponic garden that grows vegetables without soil. 

Denise O’Dea, superintendent of Washington County USD 108, also spoke to the State Board about her district’s Farm to School program. She said there are about 25 local producers who donate beef and pork to feed the 370 students in her district. There is a district calendar that makes the community aware of what days the locally grown meats will be served at school. 

Students also operate a hydroponic garden housed inside a science lab. 

“It tastes so much better because our kids grew it,” O’Dea said. “They stock up on the lettuce and tomatoes.” 

O’Dea said she strongly believes “healthy kids lead to healthy test scores” and has seen improvements in student achievement, fewer behavior issues and the kindergarten no longer has chronic absenteeism since the district has incorporated locally grown food in its meal program.