Earlier this year, District 300 elementary schools became 17 of the total 21 schools in Illinois awarded the HealthierUS School Challenge  grant.  These schools continue to lead the way by earning prestigious spots in the state's 2010-2011 Nutrition Calendar.

The state's recent recognition of our students' nutrition artwork is perfectly timed with a special new feature from Aramark, the D300 food service provider.  Aramark has just unveiled an online Nutritional Calculator enabling D300 elementary students, parents and staff to easily determine the nutritional data for combinations of school menu items.

The D300 Nutrition Calculator is the first of its kind in any Aramark school district in the United States.  This interactive, straight-forward tool can be found here, or by visiting any D300 elementary school's menu webpage. Quick links are listed below. Aramark will eventually also launch online calculators for D300 middle and high school menus.

"We are providing this resource to help parents and students make selections that fit their personal health and nutritional goals and preferences," said Scott Rodgers, D300 Aramark general manager.  "After reviewing their school menu, families select menu options on the calculator webpage. The nutritional values will appear for that particular meal."

Seven D300 students from six elementary schools won the Illinois State Board of Education's art competition to have their nutrition drawings featured in the state Nutritional Calendar for 2010-2011. Students created images of their favorite nutritional food items which were selected by an ISBE review team to be featured in the calendar.

Ultimately, D300 students won two of the 12 monthly cover spots in the state calendar; these top winners will be featured in August 2010 and January 2011.  Additionally, five other D300 students will have their artwork featured elsewhere within the calendar. D300's elementary school nurses coordinated the artwork effort.

Please visit your school menu webpages to see the winning student artwork, the Nutritional Calculator (top left of the menu webpage), and the school lunch menu items being offered.  Also, scroll down to see a special montage of many D300 student entries for the nutrition art contest.  Menu webpages are as follows:

• Algonquin Lakes Elementary School
• Dundee Highlands ES
• Eastview ES
• Gilberts ES
• Golfview ES
• Gary D. Wright ES
• Hampshire ES
• Liberty ES
• Lake in the Hills
• Lincoln Prairie ES
• Lakewood
• Meadowdale ES
• Neubert ES
• Perry ES
• Parkview ES
• Sleepy Hollow ES
• Westfield Community School