The Waukon Summer Kids Day Program, “Food, Fitness, Fun!” has been working hard to keep the plants in the school gardens as nourished and bountiful as possible. In August, the tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, and ground cherries were coming in quickly. Students shared the bounty with the Summer Feeding Program and also donated to the Allamakee County Food Shelf Continue reading
The school gardens at two Waukon elementary schools are flourishing thanks to the green thumbs of the young gardeners involved in the Summer Food and Fitness program hosted by the Iowa 4-H AmeriCorps program, ISU Extension and Outreach and Allamakee Community School District. Continue reading
ISU Extension and Outreach and the Waukon Farmers Market are introducing a new free kids program at the farmers market starting July 1. The Power of Produce Kid’s Club (PoP Club) is open to children ages 4 through 12. Continue reading
The Allamakee Community School District in partnership with the NE Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative is accepting applications for a full-time 
AmeriCorps service member for the 2019-2020 school year. Continue reading
We held our first true high school FFI meeting during the school day. Twenty-five students were in attendance, which is roughly 3/4ths of the larger group. Continue reading
My service site is a school district, and in the first week of October they held their High School Homecoming. On the Friday of the homecoming game and the school spirit day, I hosted a mystery taste test featuring an orange vegetable to compliment the school’s colors: sweet potatoes. Continue reading
I was working after school in my office after a day of walking around the middle and high schools to introduce myself. I left my room to grab some materials from the printer, when I overheard 3 students badgering the secretary about who the ‘new woman’ was that they had seen during the school day. Seeing me, the secretary introduced the students, who decided to stay for a while and help me in the gardens in order to ask me questions about the FFI Program in their school. Continue reading
The Waukon High School Food and Fitness Club (FFI) has been resurrected! Five mixed-year high school students felt they were not being taught enough in school about how to cook and provide food for themselves after graduation. Students, especially seniors, voiced concerns of inadequacy when it comes to shopping for food, eating healthy foods, cooking meals, and reading recipes. Other students came forward and expressed their desires to learn how to grow healthier foods as a way of saving money in the future. As students heard about this club, attendance grew from 5 students to 35 regular participants.
Continue reading
Meet Harleigh Boldridge – the new AmeriCorps member for Allamakee schools. Continue reading
East Elementary students made mini pizzas as part of a grant to teach “Farm to Pizza” curriculum! After reviewing the components of MyPlate, students drew pictures of pizza toppings and ingredients while determining if they are a grain, fruit, vegetable, dairy or protein! Continue reading
