Schools

VIDEO: RMMS Students Partner With New London Organizations For Presentations On Nutrition, Fair Trade




Several weeks ago, fifth grade students at the Regional Multicultural Magnet Center visited a number of locations around New London to learn more about food security. On Thursday, it was their turn to be the educators. 

Students selected a topic they were interested in and worked in pairs to give a presentation on the subject to younger grades. Those grades visited student speakers on a number of topics including the Gemma E. Moran United Way Labor Food Center, FRESH New London, Flavours of Life, and Bean and Leaf.

Erin Conley, a fifth grader teacher and head of the RMMS wellness team, said the class has studied nutrition for two years and also participated in a “Sell Borne” study of the history and science of the square kilometer surrounding the school. She said Thursday’s presentations combine a number of factors involved in these studies at sites within walking distance of the school. 

“We wanted physical activity. We wanted community as a part of it. And we wanted food culture,” she said. 

Conley said the entire class visited each site before researching a specific topic and creating a presentation around it. Students were also asked to write a five-paragraph essay and develop and activity based on their subject. 

At Flavours of Life, students Eno Begic-Tofer and Catherine Leuba discussed fair trade and the use of recycled materials. Conley said fair trade was included in the project due to its involvement in materials such as coffee and chocolate. Leuba related it to overall home stability as well. 

“If you buy it, people in other countries aren’t getting ripped off. So they can buy more food,” she said. 

Conley said each of the sites was eager to support the project when contacted by the school. Ellen Cummings, owner of Flavours of Life, said she thought it was a good way to teach students about fair trade and social responsibility. She said the parents of some children also visited the store for the first time after learning about the project.

“They had done some research ahead of time, which was great,” Cummings said of the class’s first visit to the store. “They had some really good questions.”

At Bean and Leaf, India Harper and Emma Terry discussed the topics of fair trade and organic materials. They had also put together a trivia game for students to play at the end of their presentation. 

“I was a little nervous in the first one, but I got used to it,” said Terry of her presentation. 

“The whole thing’s fun,” said Harper. 

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