APS students get a taste of Route 66 through a lunch program

APS’ new Eat Your Way Through Route 66 lunch program hopes to expand children’s horizons by letting them experience meals from along the historic Route 66.

Operated by the Albuquerque Public Schools Food and Nutrition program, it will provide children with meals from every state along Route 66 over the course of the school year. Along with the meals, students will be provided with activities to learn about the highway, such as a crossword puzzle, word searches or coloring sheets, and informational posters about each state will be posted in cafeterias in the hopes of adding a fun educational experience to the student’s day.

“The goal is really to help our students learn, grow, and thrive, cafeterias are an extension of the educational programs of our school, and they also play an integral role in educating our students,” said Ragan Montoya, a coordinator of student nutrition and marketing for APS Food and Nutrition Services.

Each month, a new state will be presented to students. A popular or significant meal from the state will be selected and students will get the chance to try it, typically within the second week of the month.

“Illinois, when we started off, was a hot dog, because of Chicago dogs, and then Missouri was a riblet sandwich, for St. Louis ribs,” said Sandra Kemp, executive director of APS Food and Nutrition Services.

An informational poster on each state will stay up for the duration of the month. This poster will include information such as the state flower, state bird and the state capital. For older kids, posters will also include information like significant dates, such as the state’s founding year. On the day the meal is served, students will also get an activity to accompany the meal and teach them a bit more about the state.

“I think it’s a great learning opportunity to bring food into the educational part, and tie it all in,” Kemp said.

Food and Nutrition Services hopes that this program will have many benefits for students.

“It just makes a fun environment for our students to come to school, and go to the cafeteria,” Montoya said. “These activities really help with education. It’s really great for our elementary kids to learn fun facts about each state, which is what we do each month.”

In addition to these benefits, APS Food and Nutrition Services wants to learn from this year’s program, with the intention of continuing lunch programs like these in years to come.

“I’m just hoping everyone jumps on Route 66,” Kemp said. “Climb on board and ride the school year with us.”