Some Leechburg Area elementary students created a foodie survey in hopes of bringing back or keeping their favorite breakfast and lunch items served in the school cafeteria.

Thanks to a collaboration among fifth grade student council members from David Leech Elementary School and district food service director Tess Diehl, select menu items will be kept, introduced or phased out, based on results from the survey conducted this month.

Student council members Landon Horneman, Ryan Linkes, Thaddeus Hengelbrok, Adriana Sabot, Alivia Love, Demigael Depena and Jackson Jagodrinski worked to design, create and conduct a food survey among third, fourth and fifth graders.

Student council shared the survey results Wednesday, March 20 in a PowerPoint presentation to the school board.

The presentation included slides of statistics and foods the students want to see back on the menu, such as the Southwest chicken bowl, sausage egg and cheese biscuit, General Tso’s chicken bowl and pepperoni calzones. Foods they hope will remain on the menu include loaded pierogies, the “Leechburger,” chicken cheddar ranch hoagie and breakfast pizza.

“Our job is to customize what the kids want. It was great and really informative,” Diehl said of their presentation. “Here I am, thinking they loved the cereal and the survey said they don’t.”

Turns out, spilled milk is a big reason why many students want to say bye-bye to cereal.

Of the 129 students who completed the online survey, 48% said they want the cafeteria to stop serving cereal.

Among the reasons given for removing cereal: It’s messy, young students spill their milk when pouring it, most kids have cereal at home, they want something heartier in their bellies, and they can’t be successful and learn on an empty stomach.

And strawberries?

They nabbed top billing as favorite fruit, followed by grapes.

Diehl said she is taking the students’ presentation seriously and already has made changes to April’s monthly menu.

“On Fridays, cereal will be offered as an option item instead of the only choice,” Diehl said. “They want the doughnuts back so I plan to do that. I love their enthusiasm. It’s great they’re involved and passionate about the food menu. I was grateful they did the survey.”

Another survey takeaway was a love of “breakfast for lunch.”

Adriana said one food item in particular gained the most love in the survey and was deemed a “must keep.”

“The walking taco,” she said. “I learned that many of the students like many, many different things. This was cool to do.”

Jackson said the survey buzz among his peers was positive.

“They were into it. I don’t think a single person was talking during our presentation to the students,” he said.

The students noted the survey was not meant to criticize the school menu.

“Our cafeteria is already great,” said student council adviser Danielle Matus. “We just want to make it better together.”

At Leechburg, all students in grades K-12 are under the same roof and share the same cafeteria.

“Their impact from this survey will impact them as they move on from elementary school,” Matus said.

Many of the foods requested by students in the survey results are nutritious, Diehl said.

“I think the fresh fruits and vegetables program helped with that,” she said.

Last year, Leechburg Area was awarded a grant for the federally sponsored Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program.

Through the program, some students were able to nosh on fruits and veggies they had never tried before, such as blood oranges, watermelon, honeydew, Asian pears and mangoes.

“We don’t have the program this year.” Diehl said. “I’m hopeful we get the grant this year for fall. That program 100% helped the kids to learn about making healthy food choices.”

The program is a federally assisted initiative that provides fresh fruits and vegetables to children at eligible elementary schools. The number of schools selected for it is based on federal funding.

“From what we tasted through the FFVP, it inspired us to try to have some of those fresh fruits and vegetables again this year for breakfast and lunch,” Thaddeus said.

Leechburg qualifies for free breakfast and lunch for all students.

Another survey highlight reflected that students want larger portions. However, because of federal nutrition guidelines, Diehl said she can’t serve more than the recommended 2 ounces for a serving of protein. Among other guidelines, she said: Milk must be 1%, flavored milk must be fat-free, and all breads and rice must be whole grains.

“The fan favorite is pizza, and I serve that every Friday. And it has a whole grain crust,” Diehl said.

But there are no minimum serving sizes with the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program.

According to data provided by Taj Magruder, press secretary for the state Department of Education, Obama-era federal nutrition standards established in 2012 remain largely unchanged.

“The National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs align with the dietary guidelines for Americans,” he said.

Last year’s state budget invested $46.5 million to deliver universal free breakfast for 1.7 million students, in addition to ensuring all 22,000 students eligible for reduced-price lunches through the National School Lunch Program receive lunch at no cost, Magruder said.

“With the 2024-25 proposed budget, Gov. (Josh) Shapiro is building upon this important work by calling for $16.7 million to continue to ensure kids can learn with a full stomach and be more successful in the classroom,” he said.

Food purchasing decisions are made at the local level but must be consistent with applicable law.

“The state does not preauthorize or approve purchases,” Magruder said.

Matus noticed members of student council discussing with great interest the topic of school food choices.

She encouraged them to take it to the next level and use it as a teachable moment.

“This was completely student-driven. They created all of the surveys, distributed them to the students and did all of the technical work, too,” Matus said.

Landon said working with his peers was rewarding.

“I learned that doing something for the other students in your grade takes time, and it was fun because I worked with my friends,” he said.