The Topeka state journal., 1921-03-12
SERVES HOTLUNCH
Shawnee County School Teach.
er Makes Splendid Record.
Not a Hot Lunch Pupil Is
Underweight.
THE ATTENDANCE Is PERFECT
When System Was Started AZ
Were Below Normal.
Home Made Equipment Is Used
by Miss Willis.
BY MABEL CALDWELL.


There is one rural teacher in Kansas
who will have a star in her crown
which has been justly earned That
teacher is Miss Grace Willis. district
80, Shawnee county.
Last fall, shortly after the opening
of school, the school nurse weighed
and measured all the children. When
she turned in her report it showed that
there were only two children out of
forty-nine that were normal in weight.
The rest were underweight. Miss Will
lis realized that she must do something
and when she sized up the hot lunch
idea she decided 1t was worthy of a
fair trial and she at once began PLAN
ming for the necessary equipment.
When she had the arrangements all
completed for conducting her hot
as a dozen children would go home to
lunch. and the rest were unanimous
in their desire to have lunch at school.
She taxed each one twenty-five cents
to supply the shelves. and buy the
equipment, excepting the stove which
the board bought: Then she arranged
to have each child bring from home
what was to be cooked for that day,
and her lunches started out with a
gusto. The children became so en-
thusiastic about the lunch that the
time came when they had no more
i0Cct VA uOlilS WItHOuL their not lunch
than the teacher had of conducting
the days work without the arithmetic
lesson.
Made Own Cupboard.
Miss Willis fairly radiates her own
enthusiasm for things, and one day
when she suggested that a little cup
board would be a fine thing for keep
ing dishes out of sight and way from
the dust, one little fellow offered to
build her one. A few days la ter the
lad came to school with cupboard
made out of boxes with nicely planed
boards hinged on for the doors. This
is just one example of the way the
children Cooperate with Miss Willis
in making the hot lunch a success
The middle of February the school
nurse again went out to weigh the
children and this time she found the
most conclusive argument for hot
lunches that she has yet found. She
found the children as a whole had
made an average gain of eight pounds
a child. Some children had gained
as much as fifteen pounds. She also
found that of the children who had
an underweight child. From the
group that went home for lunch there
was still six children underweight.
Miss Willis made milk the foundation
of her lunches which were varied every
day, and in her report she says that no
one ever grumbled about the food that
is served. They all realize they are
unusually fortunate to have a teacher
that is willing to do so much for them
Attendance Is Perfect.
Miss Willis is a teacher of several
years experience and she says that
this is the first year she ever taught
that she has had perfect attendance.
She has had no colds, and the fact has
been SO noticeable that the parents
have been remarking about the won
derful health of their children this
year, and are just beginning to think
that perhaps the lunch is responsible
Miss Willis says that never will she
think of conducting a school without
the lunch, for it las been proven
absolutely to her that the hot lunch
at noon is necessary for the mainte-
nance of the most successful school.