1. Community
Connections Project
My quest to learn more about the food in and around Toki
Middle School and Meadowood Neighborhood
Courtney Moser
2. FOOD IN THE
SCHOOL
I first wanted to learn more
about the food that the
students at Toki Middle
School eat. What do they eat
and what programs are in
place surrounding school
Akira Toki
provided food?
3. Breakfast & Lunch menu
*There is a wide variety of
food available to students
for lunch. The school
also provides breakfast
for the students. I am
curious about the
regulations around what
they can serve, the
nutrition of this food, and
how much it costs. This
impacts parents and
students and math is
involved in determining
these answers.
4. The MMSD Food Program
“The MMSD Eatery believes that Good Nutrition is a Key to Learning”
In general, parents and the community want the children in their
school to be learning and thriving. One key component of this is
making sure that students are receiving nutritious meals. How
nutritious are the meals the students are eating and what does it cost
parents and the community? This cost is mathematically calculated.
“All of our menus in the USDA program are designed to meet USDA
nutritional standards...Meeting these targets ensures that our meals
provide students with one third of their dietary requirements for lunch
and one fourth for breakfast.”
6. USDA Standards
Each meal must be
analyzed to ensure
it meets these
requirements.
I noticed that sodium, cholesterol, etc.
consumption is not accounted for in the
standards. When I looked up the nutritional
information of the food, I noticed that the
school food did not have healthy levels of
sodium or cholesterol.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Governance/Legislation/nutritionstandards.htm
7. How nutritious are the meals?
The recommended total daily intake for sodium is 1500 mg. The chicken potato
gravy bowl has 2248.95 mg of sodium alone! That is 748.95mg more than the
recommended daily allowance of sodium.
http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssodium/
8. Opinions on school lunch
FROM A STUDENT FROM MY CT
“The pizza is too greasy. When you peel “If kids are supposed to be getting the bulk of their
the plastic wrapper off (the pizza comes in nutrition at school, these kids are not getting it.”
a plastic bag), the cheese comes off with
it.”
“This food is ‘slop.’ It is absolutely horrifying.
Everything is prepackaged.”
“The lunch here at the middle school is
healthier than the elementary school,
though. My brother and sister say the “The food doesn’t satiate them. I always hear kids
french fries there are soggy and greasy.” saying they are still hungry.”
“We have half an hour for lunch. 15 “When I taught in New Mexico, almost all of the kids
minutes for eating and 15 minutes for had free and reduced lunch and ALL the food was
recess.” made from scratch. I would actually eat the lunch
the school made. “
“In elementary school, we had fresh fruits
and veggies for snack and I really liked “Here, the kids are learning bad eating habits.”
that.”
9. Are they really “nutritious?”
So... this is interesting. According to the
USDA standards, the meals are nutritious.
However, the students don’t find them
particularly appetizing and my CT doesn’t think
the meals are nutritious at all. Why has the
school chosen to go with mostly prepackaged
meals? My guess is cost. The school must
calculate the cost of serving the food and find
ways to still make it affordable for the school.
10. What is the cost of the meals?
USDA BREAKFAST
Reduced & Free....no charge
Middle School Full Pay....$1.50
USDA LUNCH
Reduced.....$0.40
Middle School Full Pay....$2.90
https://foodsvcweb.madison.k12.wi.us/mealpayplus
11. Free and Reduced Lunch
If families are underneath these cutoffs in terms of income, they may be eligible for free
and reduced lunch. They must fill out a form requiring them to calculate the income of
each person in the household. So, math must be used in order to apply for the free and
reduced lunch program.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/notices/iegs/iegs.htm
12. The school actually loses money
for each meal it serves. To offset
this cost, schools provide other
food items a la carte that students
can pay extra for. This food is
often unhealthy foods, so that
students will want to buy them. It
makes sense, then, that schools
would want to use food that is
cheap in order to minimize the net
loss.
These revenues come from parent payments
and USDA & DPI reimbursement for lunches
that are provided at that free and reduced costs.
foodsvcweb.madison.k12.wi.us
Financials Fact Sheet
Net loss of $.09 (2.89-2.80) Net loss of $.09 (1.70-1.79)
13. The community cares!
The Madison community cares about the food their children are
eating.
One group, among many, has formed called “Madison Families For
Better Nutrition” with the slogan “Dump the Junk. Feed the Brain.”
On their website, they proclaim: “We, the undersigned, believe
the Madison Metropolitan School District must provide food
choices to students that underscore good nutrition, utilizing fresh
fruits and vegetables and whole grains. The Madison
Metropolitan School District will close the achievement gap by
providing the building blocks for a healthy mind and body. In
short, we demand good food for great kids.”
There is a relationship between achievement and nutrition!
http://dumpthejunknow.wordpress.com/category/letters/
14. How many students at Toki qualify for
free and reduced lunch?
In 2011-12, 48.9% of students were
classified as economically
disadvantaged and 51.1% were
classified as not economically
disadvantaged
From this graph, you can see the
number of students who are
classified as economically
disadvantaged at Toki has been
increasing over the past ten
years.
a.dpi.state.wi.us/data/GroupEnroll.aspx?GraphFile=GROUPS&SCounty=47&SAthleticConf=45&SCESA=05&FULLKEY=023269040620&SN=Toki+Mid&DN=Madison+Metropolitan&OrgLevel=sc&Qquad=demographics.asp
15. The way that the percentages of students who
are and are not economically disadvantaged
are determined is by looking at the
percentages of students who get free and
reduced meals. So, 48.9% of students at Toki
received free and reduced lunch prices. This
means that the community around Toki is
composed of many families who benefit from
this program. Many of these families rely on
the school to be providing nutritious and filling
food for their children.
18. Restaurants
What I noticed when looking at this map is that there are
barely any restaurants within Meadowood or even
slightly beyond.
One of my students said there are not really any grocery
stores or restaurants around the school in the
community. There is only Walgreens and Copps. He
thinks there should be more restaurants and grocery
stores. He says there used to be a pizza place nearby,
but it is gone now. He thinks it turned into a barber
shop.
20. “Meadowood neighborhood’s popular
fruit trees on city’s chopping block”
“The city of Madison intends to remove or transplant six fruit trees resident Mark Bauman
planted in the terrace of his Lynndale Road home in the Meadowood Neighborhood because
they violate an ordinance that prohibits such trees in the city right of way. About 400 people
have signed a petition to allow the trees to remain.”
Article published October 25, 2012, so this is a very recent issue in the community
In the article, it says that the trees have become a part of the Meadowood neighborhood,
which “the city recently has declared a ‘food desert’ for lack of easy access to fresh, healthy
groceries.”
“The Baumans, who have three more fruit trees on their property, would like to keep those on
the terrace to continue to provide fresh fruit for their family, neighbors and local children.”ree
To me, it seems like the community wants to have fresh fruits available for adults and children
alike, but it isn’t readily available and removing the trees would remove one of the few
resources they do have.
Read more here: http://host.madison.com/news/local/meadowood-neighborhood-s-popular-
fruit-trees-on-city-s-chopping/article_870467cc-1e34-11e2-845c-0019bb2963f4.html
21. Summary of Findings
Q1: What did I learn about the community,
mathematics, and how mathematics is used by
the people in the community?
Q2: How is what I learned relevant to my
students?
Q3: Why does the particular community where
I did my quest matter? How might the
information I learned be different if I had done
my quest in another place or context?
22. What did I learn about the community,
mathematics, and how mathematics is used
by the people in the community?
Food is an important part of the community and school, even if it there isn’t an abundance of it
or if it isn’t always the healthiest food.
Some people in the community are lobbying to change the food that is served at school
because they believe it is not as healthy as it should be.
The cost of food plays a factor in which food is available. The school must calculate which
foods they are able to serve in order to minimize the difference between cost and revenue.
Almost half of students receive free and reduced lunch. The families must use math to
complete the applications. Families also make calculated choices each and every day as to
where they will spend their money - rent, electricity, food. The school plays a role in this by
provided meals at free and reduced prices.
Mathematics can be used to help people (ex: providing free and reduced lunch based on
income levels) but also at times does not serve people’s best interests (ex: cost of school
meals vs. nutrition of school meals.)
23. How is what I learned relevant to my students?
Students have opinions on the food they are served and notice the
availability of food to them.
It could be interesting to do a project with students where they
analyze the school lunches, calculate the costs, and share their
opinions on whether or not they like the food, think it is healthy,
and if they believe it is shaping their eating habits.
Many of my students receive free and reduced lunch.
Our students potentially hear their parents conversations about money
and the choices they must make
The fruit trees are in their neighborhood. They might have eaten from
fruit from those trees or have an opinion on whether or not they should
be removed or located
24. Why does the particular community where I did my quest
matter? How might the information I learned be different
if I had done my quest in another place or context?
Different communities have different demographics.
The amount of students who receive free and reduced lunch would be
much different. Even between different schools in Madison, it can
vary greatly.
The type and quantity of available food differs between places. From
the map, I could see that there is an abundance of food in other parts
of Madison, while there is not much in the nearby community of Toki.
Different school districts handle their school meal programs differently
and serve different foods. Even compared to my middle school which
is 20 minutes from Toki, the food was different.
