Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-12-16
SCHOOL,. LUNCHES

to carry to school-with the fried ham
and the two slices of bread with
Jelly between them, and the pie, and
an apple?
Forty-five per cent, almost half the
schools, now provide some kind OF hot
lunch for the pupils. The actual num-
Der last year was 3,O74. One year be-
fore that only 1851 schools served hot
lunches. In some counties nearly all
schools have the hot lunch, while IN
others only a small beginning has
been made. Dane county leads-94 per
cent of her country schools are hot
lunch schools as compared with 5O
ser cent the year previous. Douglas is
close second with 81 per cent. In
Taylor county the least progress has
been made, only 8 per cent OF its
.chools having made provision to
warm up the cold lunch of the child
rem
Milwaukee county is rather far down,
With 25 per cent One reason for the
ow percentage in Milwaukee and 9TH
ar densely populated counties is that
many pupils return home for the noon
neal.
Miss Gladys Stillman of the home
economies department, University OF
Wisconsin, who is active in promotion
f "hot lunches" in the country
chools, says the university is inter-
,sted because the hot lunch makes far
etter health and scholarship, as is
hown by the comments of the, rural
eachers.
"The reports we receive show that
iupils attend more regularly, that they
are more fit for their duties, she
/. said Colds and minor ailments are
less frequent, and generally improved
conditions follow the introduction of
the hot lunch. I would like to empha-
size right away that there is right
way to serve hot lunch, just as there
| is a right way to teach the arithmetic
lesson. The work should be done by
the children, and not by the teacher
the rural teacher already has heavy
program, and she does not need addi-
tional work Of the work is done prop
erly, and if the children do it them
selves it will be benefit.
ANY school that undertakes to add
/ IL. c11~ chs 70 feapf
it right-a wrong start may kill the
idea, and then it is difficult to ret
new it.
1.-THE hot lunch does not mean a
meal served at school. 1t means the
serving of single hot dish-to sup
plement the cold lunch the children
bring to school, The, hot dish may be a
milk vegetable soup, cocoa or cereals
The cost of equipment for the school
is variable, but simple outfit to per-
nit services to "a pupils may be pur-
chased in most localities for about
SIS. Some boards appropriate for the
equipment In other districts school
entertainments bring in funds, or ar
ticles are donated. Ten cents "a week.
or 2 cents day, covers the usual cost
of the hot dish for each pupil. This
may be paid individually, if the board
does not wish to pay the cost, or if
no other way is devised to meet the
i expense
The hot lunch has been introduced
and popularized by means of poster
! and booklet contests among school
children. The contest for the present
school year is about to be inaugu-
rated under rules to admit pupils of
all rural or graded schools.
Pupils who enter the contest will be
under supervision of their teacher,
who will choose the best three posters
and the best three booklets in her
school and send them to her county
superintendent. The superintendent,
aided by the supervising teachers, will
choose the best three from the county,
and forward them to the home eco
nomics department, where the final