Success Stories

Making a Difference in Academic Performance

This story was submitted by Westglen principal, Phil Corning.

Westglen School is a Grade 5 to Grade 8 Middle School in Didsbury, consisting of 330 students from all walks of life.  There is a heavy emphasis on Reading and Writing across the curriculum.
For many years, the principal had wished for a breakfast program, believing that all students ages 10 to 14 are usually hungry all of the time.  The school also believed that, like a well-fuelled machine, children who are well-nourished at the beginning of the day are more alert and ready to respond to the many academic challenges which they receive each day.

Breakfast for Learning provided the school with the opportunity to test and prove this theory. In 2004, Westglen School successfully implemented their “Food For Thought” breakfast program using the funds from BFL along with community donations and hundreds of hours of volunteer work.

Adult and student volunteers provided a wide variety of traditional breakfast snacks and healthy beverages each morning. Staff invited a number of “Interesting” Grade 8 boys, who tended to frequent the office for a variety of reasons, to help with the breakfast program. The boys took a lot of ownership in the program, and soon took over the distribution of food, being ever watchful over the especially needy students. The boys instinctively knew who to watch out for and took care of them with kindness, courtesy,  a good sense of humour, and always with a sincere concern for every child’s well-being.

The service learning has become an integral part of the Westglen program.

The most compelling argument in favour of the “Food for Thought” BFL program is its connection to student results. Westglen has a large population of special needs students who have difficulties with reading.  A study of the Provincial Achievement Test results showed an overall improvement in all test areas. Mr. Corning believes that these results came from both the strong emphasis on teacher training in Writing, and the BFL nutrition program.  The staff noticed a more alert student population once the no “junk food”, no soda pop, and healthier snack choices were initiated.  “The Breakfast for Learning funding has helped us anchor our nutritional program by beginning each day with something substantial”.

The Provincial Achievement Test results showed in each subject that despite the large number of special needs children at the school, more children were achieving the “acceptable” standard than remaining in the “below acceptable standard”, once the breakfast program was initiated.  Mr. Corning attributes this to the students being better prepared for the day by having a healthier diet and an improved awareness of the value of nutrition, along with the teachers using best current practices.