Nutrition-minded muralists

Michael Miller

Painting a tile at Whittier Elementary School last Wednesday,

8-year-old Fernando Silva declared, “I’m going to grow up to be an

artist.”

The Costa Mesa second-grader won’t have to wait long.

This summer, his tile -- an image of a slice of watermelon --

will be featured in Whittier’s mural, to be mounted in front of the

school.

Whittier received the mural tiles after finishing second in a

districtwide contest to determine which school dedicated the most

hours this year to studying nutrition.

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District partnered with the

California Nutrition Network to run the contest this year. The first-

and second-prize winners, Davis and Whittier elementary schools, won

tiles, while third-place Harper Preschool won a painted mural.

“We thought it up as an incentive to thank teachers and schools

for participating and really showing interest,” said Geoff Ianniello,

the California Nutrition Network’s operations manager for

Newport-Mesa.

Last Wednesday at Whittier, second-grade teacher Lisa Tupman’s

students finished painting their tiles in class.

Over the last year, Tupman’s students have learned about health,

both in and out of the classroom. When the Newport-Mesa district

named a fruit or vegetable of the month, Tupman engaged her class in

learning its history.

In addition, her students played baseball and did calisthenics on

the playground.

“They need to know what’s good and the right way to eat,” Tupman

said.

The lessons paid off in more ways than one, as the California

Nutrition Network named Whittier the district’s second-most

nutrition-minded school in March.

Participating teachers had to keep logs of how many hours they

devoted to dietary discussions and exercise.

For the mural, students celebrated their school’s victory by each

painting a tile featuring their favorite fruit, vegetable or sport.

The vast majority of Tupman’s students, perhaps influenced by the

summer heat, chose a watermelon.

Alejandra Barrentos, 9, who plays in the American Youth Soccer

Organization, often feasts on fruit after her matches.

“My mom brings me watermelon and apples to games,” Alejandra said,

adding that she waits until after the fourth quarter to eat. “She

says if I eat before I finish a game, I’ll have a stomach ache.”

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot

education writer Michael Miller visits a campus in the Newport-Mesa

area and writes about his experience.