Officials worried too many South Elgin High students skipping breakfast

Breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day.

That's why staffers at South Elgin High School say it's troubling that more than 60 percent of students at the school skip breakfast at least once a week.

Students say that with school starting even earlier this year, it is harder to eat a full breakfast before the first bell.

“We found that students were not hungry when they left the house,” said Colleen McKenzie, food service director at South Elgin High School. “They start so early that by the time 7:30, 8, 8:30 rolls around, they're so hungry.”

To reverse the trend, the staff at South Elgin applied for and received a grant to offset the cost of a breakfast cart that brings bagels, cereal and juice right into students' morning study periods.

Students who don't qualify for a free or reduced-price breakfast still have to pay for their meal, but the cart allows students to buy an affordable breakfast right in their classrooms.

The staff has already noticed a difference. While the school was selling 80 to 100 breakfasts before, now it sells 250 to 325 every morning, meaning at least 10 percent of students are eating breakfast at school.

Julia Olsta, the school's nurse, was part of a committee that decided to apply for the grant earlier this fall.

“There are studies out there that show a direct link between breakfast and cognitive achievement,” Olsta said. “A lot of kids come in here complaining about not feeling well, and it turns out they haven't had anything to eat.”

The wellness team at South Elgin surveyed kids in physical education classes. They found that 18 percent never ate breakfast before school and almost 63 percent skipped breakfast at least once a week.

To encourage more students to eat a healthy breakfast, the school extended the time when it stops serving food from 7:40, the start of school, until 9:25, the end of morning study hall.

Olsta came up with the idea of the breakfast cart, but the school needed a laptop computer to scan student ID cards. The cards store money for students to buy meals and also help maintain privacy for students who get free or reduced meals. Students who qualify for free or reduced lunch also get free or reduced breakfast.

A $2,500 grant through the Midwest Dairy Council covered half the cost of the cart; the food service department in Elgin Area School District U-46 covered the rest.

Jessica Votaza, a senior from West Chicago, said students have welcomed the change and notice the difference in class.

“Without eating, it's harder to pay attention,” she said. “It does help me focus when I get a little bit of something to eat.”

Olsta said she hopes to expand the program within the school and serve as a model for other Elgin-area schools.

“We're kind of piloting this,” she said. “I'm hoping this will spread to other schools.”

Breakfast costs $1.25 and includes milk, juice and an entree.