The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-04-12
Hot School Lunches in Barnes
County Prove Popular Feature

During the past five years an increas-
ing interest has been shown in hot
school lunches among various classes
Of schools in Barnes county.
At the present time four distinct
types of this work are conducted, de-
pending upon local conditions for the
method of planning. preparation, SER
vice and support.
+ AS an example of what is being done
in small one.room rural schools the
school at Cuba is mentioned and it's
plan is described in general. The
room is crowded and they have no
elaborate equipment for work in DO.
mestic science. The cooking is done
on a one-burner oil stove, which is
kept in the entry when the weather
permits. During the coldest winter
months most of the equipment is kept
in the school room. Each child brings
his own dishes to school. These are
kept IN a grocery box nttei up with
shelves and curtains, making a cup
board. A few staple groceries are also
kept in this cupboard. A small work
table provides place for preparing
the vegetables and washing the dishes
Each family in the school furnishes
and launders dish towel in turn.
Pupils bring milk, butter, vegetables,
etc., to school, for which they are
given credit at current market prices.
A charge of two cents per pupil per
day is paid by those who do not bring
supplies. The food is prepared for
cooking in the morning or at recess by
the girls and teacher. These foods are
put on to cook at such time in the
forenoon that lunch will be ready to
serve when the children are dismissed
for the noon intermission. The pupils
are seated in stheir own seats, while
two or three girls are appointed to
serve the lunch as fast as the teacher
fills the plates with each child's por-
tion. Among the preparations served
are cocoa, soups, potatoes and other
vegetables. When lunch has been
eaten the girls wash the dishes.
AS another type of service in the
one-room rural school there is the
plan used in the Minnie Lake school.
This school has different method Of
serving. Their school room provides
ample space for long table, which is
covered with white oilcloth. The
school has a supply of folding chairs,
which are put around the table. An
extra cloak room serves the purpose
of kitchenette. This scilaol has
two-burner oil stove. This plan gives
the girls practice in setting the table.
This plan also affords the teacher a
splendid opportunity to discuss table
manners with the children.
The Noltimier school is typical ex-
ample of what the rural consolidated
schools are doing along this line. This
i school, has a kitchen equipped for
teaching domestic science. The girls
prepare the lunches. The pupils line
up and pass through this Kitchen and
around table to get their portion. All
pays in single file into another room
toSeat. Other details compare with
the first plan described.
In some schools thee hildren pur-
chase meal tickets for week or more,
paying at the rate of two cents day.
The most elaborate plan CT serving
a hot noon lunch is carried on in con.
nection with the domestic science de-
partment Of the town school in Litch-
vile. This school has a coal range on
which most Of the cooking is done.
The cooking classes sell all their pro-
ducts by conducting cafeteria coun-
ter for few minutes at the beginning
Of each noon intermission. Several
children buy their entire noon lunch
regularly. In order that variety may
be offered for sale the members of the
cooking classes prepare different re-
cipes during their class periods. For
instance, if two girls make graham
mullins Monday two other girls might
make mullins Tuesday. While one
group is making mullins another group
might be making pudding, and so on
Besides these varieties lar5e general
supply is made during the class period
of such dishes as soups and cscalloped
corn. Two or three girls have charge
Of these sales each day. Through
these sales the domestic science de.
partment has been made self-support-
ing. The children use the school
dishes.
Each school follows the pan which
seems to best fit the needs Of its COM
munity. The hot lunches nave prov.
ed most beneficial in promoting health
conditions in the county.
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