Program Spotlight
Garden to Table to Help Combat Obesity at UTES Vegetables are passing the taste test among students at The University of Texas Elementary School (UTES) who are participating in the WellNest, an after-school pilot program, launched this past September to supplement the school’s Healthy Families Initiative.
UT senior Sonam Shahani is well on her way to becoming a successful urban educator with experience she has gained as a student teacher at UT Elementary School.
In just one year, Govalle and Metz have seen remarkable results. Since SEL was introduced at Govalle, the occurrences of office referrals have reduced from 80 incidences down to six in the first month and a half. Fewer referrals to the principal’s office also mean more time can be spent teaching, which has a direct impact on student achievement. Melissa Chavez, executive director of UTES said, “The weekly classroom lessons and reinforcement that students receive daily are helping them to develop a 21st century skill set, be true peacemakers in school and out, and be great students.” Chavez recently completed editing a collection of teacher experiences with both models that are now part of a best practices book, Teaching to the Spirit of Every Child. The book, which will be available in the spring of 2011, will be used to train future urban teachers from the College of Education and as a professional development tool in school districts throughout Texas.
Seasoned chef Toni Tipton-Martin has joined WellNest to administer Garden to Table, a community incubator project through the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. “We are so excited to incorporate Garden to Table into our Healthy Families Initiative and have Toni working with us,” said Melissa Chavez, UTES executive director. “Having our students learn life skills such as cooking, gardening, and nutrition while improving literacy and math skills and their health is a win-win situation.” Garden to Table is aligned with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Chefs Move to Schools initiative. It aims to change students’ perceptions about nutritious foods. Tipton-Martin, one of 800 invited chefs who attended the White House kick-off this summer, leads students through basic cooking exercises and gardening activities two days a week. “The students have been very willing to eat new foods like raw corn and kale,” Toni Tipton-Martin said. “That’s an enormous step.” Also new this year to WellNest is the Austin nonprofit Ignite a Dream, whose coaches teach a weekly sports lesson to the 20 students currently involved. School administrators hope by emphasizing increased physical activity and good nutrition habits, students will learn to make lifestyle choices that will benefit their overall health and well-being.
Principal Maniscalco has seen first-hand that a UEP graduate is quite prepared to work in an urban school setting. “I was able to hire one urban education student this year,” Maniscalco said. “She hit the ground running. The teacher from the Urban Education Project cohort is doing a phenomenal job. Her classroom management is great. She wasn’t surprised by student behavior, and she had the tools she needed to work with the kids in a productive way.”
NOTE: The outreach for the Social and Emotional Learning model through the Urban Education Project is made possible by generous grants from the Buena Vista Foundation, Klein Foundation, and Tapestry Foundation.
Chef Toni Tipton-Martin offers UTES students nutritious tips when they visit the school’s garden.
Division of Diversity and Community Engagement • The University of Texas at Austin
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