Maddy Smith (left) and Alice Avery operate the canteen at Millarville Community School which provides lunches for students who need a healthy snack to get through the day.
photo by Blair Braitenbach |
By Blair Braitenbach
Staff reporter
A lunch and breakfast program sponsored by Talisman Energy Inc. has students at Millarville Community School feeding both their minds and their tummies.
Over the past four years, Talisman Energy has been donating $16,000 a year to go towards the lunch and breakfast programs at schools in Longview, Turner Valley, Black Diamond and Millarville. The funding is to help ensure students don’t go hungry.
Each school organizes its programs differently, and at Millarville Community School, it is essentially the Grade 5 class that runs the daily operation of the canteen. With an emphasis on healthy food – such as fruit cups, yogurt, milk, beef jerky and natural fruit juices – those students who need assistance are given cards that ensures they are provided a nutritious breakfast and lunch.
The Oilfields/Okotoks Health Foundation (OOHF) is responsible for coordinating entire food program and securing sponsorship. Trish Axten, OOHF executive director, noted that about 25 students at Millarville Community School are taking advantage of the program.
“It’s surprising how much of a need there really is,” said Axten. “It’s done in a very discreet way. Children are given the opportunity at all the schools to receive food to make sure they are in a mental state where they can learn more effectively.”
Lorretta Stabler, Grade 5 teacher and coordinator of Millarville’s program, emphasized the all around benefits, which includes student interactions, business skills and provided lunches for students in need.
“It’s all part of being active citizens in our community here and then going further,” Stabler said.
“My interpretation of entrepreneurship is that we’re marketing what we do and our beliefs every day. If we can help kids to be the best communicators that they can as well as recorders and initiators of new ideas, then our world is going to be much better.”
Stabler said the next program for the Grade 5 class will be a mini mall concept in which students come up with the type of business they want, then will learn about inventory, marketing and strategy, pricing, availability and will perform deposits and balances everyday.
“The kinds of business skills they’re learning here will immediately transfer to the next unit that we’re doing,” Stabler said.
Helmut Gutsche, superintendent of Southern Alberta Foothills for Talisman Energy Inc., recently visited the school to get a first hand look at how the Millarville lunch and breakfast program is run. He said Talisman got involved because the Foothills is its main area of operation and it wants to give back to the community.
“The one thing that comes out very loud and clear is that if kids are hungry, they’re not going to learn very well,” Gutsche said.
“We’re just honoured to help out on a worthwhile project.”
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