BAKER — Several kindergartners through fifth-graders at Baker School are now superstars.
Breakfast superstars, that is.
The Gators celebrated Florida School Breakfast Week Sept. 15-19. If they ate breakfast at the school at least once that week, they could wear fun hats and take photos. Participants also won medals and prize buttons.
It worked, school officials said.
"We had about 30 more breakfasts a day," compared to the previous week, Baker School cafeteria manager Kelli Doss said.
The goal was to promote healthy eating choices, because full stomachs result in improved brain skills, she said.
Sarah Kincses' fifth-grade classroom, which had the most participation, won an ice cream party.
Prize-drawing winners were: kindergartners Samuel Grice and Brayden Sigler; first-grader Nathan Duenas; second-graders Jalynn McLean, Aleena Perron and Brooke Gross; third-grader Victoria Beckworth; fourth-graders William Harkins, Paris McLean and Nevaeh Rogers; and fifth-graders Aleah Kennedy, Caleb Turner, Evan Allen and Daniel Melvin.
"We appreciate Ms. Mary Beth Jackson (Okaloosa Schools superintendent) for attending our breakfast, and we are so happy for the students that took the initiative to eat school breakfast and start their day off with a bang," Doss said.
MOST IMPORTANT MEAL
Children, with growing bodies and developing brains, need to refuel each morning to stay on task at school.
And, in some cases, to show up at all.
"Interestingly, studies show that kids who skip breakfast are tardy and absent from school more often than children who eat breakfast on a regular basis," WebMD states. "Preparing a good breakfast can be as quick and easy as splashing some milk over cereal, or making oatmeal or a healthy smoothie."
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: These Baker students are starting their day 'with a bang'