Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Thursday, June 07, 2007
Fighting for a sweet tooth: Third-graders: Let some candy back in school
WEST SALEM, Wis. — When she grows up, Avery Strangstalien wants to be a horseback rider, country western singer or McDonald’s clerk.
For now, the West Salem Elementary School third-grader and vice president of her class is pursuing another career: activist.
Her cause: candy. Her plea: Don’t ban it at school. Her rallying cry: “Kids are supposed to get to have fun while they’re still kids.”
Wednesday, Strangstalien and classmates Sidney Averbeck and Abby Friell protested the district’s strict rules about candy to the policy committee of the West Salem School Board. That followed an initial appearance before the full board last week.
This time, the girls showed a video they made, role-playing teachers and students. Trouble began when a student showed a Mother’s Day card she made to the teacher, played by Friell. Its message: “You’re as sweet as candy.”
“Candy’s not allowed in school!” Friell shouted back. “It makes you hyper and rots your teeth!”
But a bit of candy never hurt a kid, the girls argued, and can actually go a long way toward motivating them to work hard.
“When you want a dog to do a trick and it does it, you give it a reward,” Friell said. “And that’s the same thing here, although we’re not dogs and we’re not eating dog treats.”
In September 2006, the school board adopted a wellness policy to provide healthier food choices and promote physical activity. In addition to replacing “junk food” in vending machines with healthier food and drinks, the policy stated “no candy or carbonated beverages will be used as reward, teaching tools or sold” to students throughout the school day.
For the girls, it meant their teacher, David Langer, now hands out scratch n’ sniff stickers or certificates to honor good work. The past two years, he used different rewards: Jolly Ranchers, Gummi Savers and Life Savers.
“It’s kind of nice for us to get a reward, because we work really hard and try our best,” Strangstalien said. “We just think it’s unfair that all the sudden they took candy away from us.”
Board clerk Ann Bina thanked the girls for their presentation, but pointed out the policy still allows students to bring birthday treats and have holiday parties with candy.
But it doesn’t let teachers give out candy, the girls countered.
“We’re not totally opposed to candy, but we are opposed to using it as a reward,” board director Kristine Alumbaugh. “There are other ways to reward good behavior.”
Superintendent Nancy Burns gave the girls a copy of the policy to help them understand it better, and Alumbaugh thanked them again.
“You’ve probably been here more than most (citizens),” she joked.
Dan Simmons can be reached at (608) 791-8217 or dsimmons@lacrossetribune.com. Matthew Perenchio of the Coulee News contributed to this story.
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