Category Archives: King Middle School
U.S. Surgeon General visits UC Berkeley, Edible Schoolyard
The U.S. Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Regina Benjamin, came to Berkeley today where she delivered a lecture on her vision for a healthy, fit nation at UC Berkeley, as well as being greeted warmly by a group of enthusiastic school children.
After her morning visit to the campus, Dr Benjamin dropped in to the Edible Schoolyard at King Middle School at about 2:30pm. A welcoming party was there to greet her, which included, among others, King’s Principal Jason Lustig, BUSD Superintendent Bill Huyett, Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, food reformer Joy Moore, and restaurateur Alice Waters who led Dr Benjamin on a tour of the garden. The Edible Schoolyard is a program of the Chez Panisse Foundation. … Continue reading »
Berkeley’s school lunch program is flawed, say insiders
The successes — and shortcomings — of the Berkeley Unified School District’s revamped school food program received equal billing at yesterday’s première screening of a series of short films collectively known as the Lunch Love Community Documentary Project.
The audience at Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley were greeted with cinematic images of children contentedly nibbling on fruit, tucking into salad, and choosing produce at a school’s farmers’ market. But, after the viewing, some adults provided a counterpoint to the rosy pictures showcasing Berkeley’s much-lauded School Lunch Initiative.
John Muir 5th grade teacher Stephen Rutherford was hands down the most critical. He talked about long, slow lines for lunch at his elementary school, the challenges for little fingers using swipe cards, the untended salad bar, the rush to eat, the vast amounts of waste, and a tense cafeteria environment.
Some of his concerns echo those raised by parents commenting on a recent Berkeleyside story on Lunch Love Community. “The day-to-day reality of feeding kids doesn’t resemble what you see on this screen,” said Rutherford. “We all had a vision of what school lunch could be and at my school it’s still very sad.” … Continue reading »
Natasha Boissier forages fruit, feeds hungry
Driving around North Berkeley with Natasha Boissier is an educational experience. Where others see a quiet residential area she sees streets lined with potential pickings and delights when she spots prospective bounty or familiar fruit.
Boissier is a part of a growing movement of urban gleaners who pick fruit from people’s yards (with permission) and donate this surplus produce to food banks, senior centers, and schools who can put this fresh food to good use.
Some residents view an abundant fruit tree as a problem but the 42-year-old clinical social worker sees a simple solution to excess bounty and a way to fill a community need.
Boissier grew up, in part, in Switzerland and remembers climbing her favorite walnut tree during her childhood. She’s turned her love of fruit picking into a kind of foraging philanthropy as the founder of North Berkeley Harvest.
Since the summer of 2007 Boissier and her loose-knit volunteer crew (about 30 in all, around 10 regulars) has harvested a cornucopia of fruit including apples, pears, Asian pears, oranges, lemons, limes, plums, peaches, figs, nectarines, apricots, persimmons, feijoas, grapefruits, sour cherries, walnuts, quinces, and loquats.
… Continue reading »
After Berkeley, school lunches will never be the same
When Helen De Michiel was shooting Lunch Love Community, a series of short films focused on Berkeley’s groundbreaking school lunch program, she would often interrupt her desk work to drop in to King Middle School to see what was on the menu for lunch.
Sharing the food with the school kids, chatting with the cooks and watching the care taken by the servers, dishwashers and cleaners all translated into material for the documentary, the making of which she also documented on her Notes from the Field blog.
In one entry, De Michiel, co-director and co-producer of Lunch Love Community with Sophie Constantinou, writes: “The school lunch cooks are planting seeds for future memories. At some point later in their lives, the kids who have gone through these lunch lines will remember the fine smell of delicately seasoned pinto beans, the crunch of the fresh Mexican slaw, and the ceiling light in the Commons rooms, and that moment when they were twelve years old and peeling a perfect Clementine orange to taste. This is how we make change on a daily level, one plate at a time.” … Continue reading »
Berkeley Bites: Alice Waters
Do Berkeleyside readers even need an introduction to the mother of the American fresh, local, sustainable, organic food movement?
Alice Waters is a living legend. For four decades, the California cuisine innovator, Chez Panisse chef, Edible Schoolyard founder, school food reformer, and Slow Food advocate, has influenced how people in this country buy, cook, eat, talk, and think about food.
As with any icon, Waters has her fans and foes. Some see her as … Continue reading »
Four honored as literacy leaders in Berkeley’s schools
The Berkeley Public Education Foundation this week recognizes four Leaders in Literacy, all of whom have shown imagination and determined effort to broaden student literacy in Berkeley.
BPEF says: “We applaud their initiative, leadership, and unwavering belief that access to the written word is a pathway to opportunity, expression, and thoughtful participation in a democratic society.” The honorees will be presented with their awards at the BPEF’s annual spring luncheon on Friday. The four honorees are:
Tom Prince, Literacy Coach … Continue reading »
Inside Berkeley’s School Kitchen: Ed Bruske
An ex-Washington Post reporter, who now blogs about food, recently spent a week embedded in the central kitchen of the Berkeley Unified School District.
Ed Bruske’s mission: To find out how one school community manages to cook food from scratch for its students.
Earlier this year, Bruske embarked on a similar reporting project. He wanted to know just what gets dished up for lunch at his daughter’s elementary school in D.C. He detailed his culinary misadventures with school cafeteria … Continue reading »
Edible Schoolyard Plant Sale busts fundraising target
The Edible Schoolyard at King Middle School held its annual Plant Sale over the weekend. The event was very well attended and Alice Waters was on hand on Saturday morning signing copies of her new book, “In the Green Kitchen”, proceeds of which benefit the Schoolyard.
David Prior, a spokesperson for the Chez Panisse Foundation, said they believe they have exceeded last year’s fundraising, which brought in a total of $12,500, on Saturday alone. The final tally will … Continue reading »
The Edible Schoolyard throws its big annual bash
This weekend offers the opportunity to celebrate and support one of Berkeley’s best ideas. The Edible Schoolyard at King Middle School will be hosting its annual plant sale in the garden. Schoolyard founder Alice Waters will be on hand on Saturday morning to meet, greet and sign copies of her new book, “In the Green Kitchen”; and Bakesale Betty’s will be serving its iconic organic chicken sandwiches.
King students have spent the past months cultivating the … Continue reading »
Berkeley Playhouse’s Oliver is delightful
I’ve rhapsodized previously about the stellar plays put on by Berkeley Playhouse, and I am pleased to say that its current production of Oliver is wonderful.
The show features 30 kids, mostly from schools around Berkeley and Oakland. Nandi Drayton is wonderful as Oliver, and Katie Corbus is great as the Artful Dodger.
“As the title character, Nandi Drayton is the uncontested star of this production,” Gwen Kingston wrote in the Daily Californian. “Her strong … Continue reading »
