It does the student body good

Milk consumption is up 18 percent in the district.
EAST PALESTINE -- Pupils are consuming more milk, potentially benefiting their health, now that it is displayed in attractively labeled plastic bottles and kept in glass-door coolers in their cafeterias.
Chris Jarussi, the school district's food service director, said the district recently received a $3,000 grant from the American Dairy Association & amp; Dairy Council Mid East that was used to buy three coolers, costing $1,000 apiece.
The district's elementary, middle and high schools now each have a cooler for the milk, which comes in plain, chocolate and strawberry flavors, she said.
"Serving ice-cold milk in plastic bottles in a variety of great flavors is more appealing to my students," Jarussi said. "We are pleased to be pioneers in merchandising milk, which helps both my students and my food program to be healthier."
Introduction
She said the plastic milk bottles, replacing waxed cartons, were introduced just before Christmas, while the coolers arrived at about the beginning of the month.
"We are one of the first school districts to make this change, which has resulted in an 18 percent increase in milk consumption by the students," she said.
The district now receives 2,600 half-pints of milk in the three flavors from United Dairy of Martins Ferry every other school day, 18 percent more than before the change, the director said.
Jarussi said the increase results in part because the new strawberry flavor is very popular in the lower grades, and the bottles are much easier for the pupils to open than the previous cartons.
She said the milk improvements have also apparently factored into a 5 percent increase in school meal participation at the secondary school level. Pupils are also consuming more of the milk they take, she added.
10-cent increase
The increase in milk consumption comes despite an increase in the price of a half pint from 30 to 40 cents this school year in the East Palestine schools.
Milk accompanies the 1,000 meals Aramark Corp., the district's food provider, serves daily at the three schools, which have a total of nearly 1,400 preschool to 12th-grade pupils. Meals include breakfast and lunch.
"The 2001 School Milk Pilot Test showed enhancing milk in four key areas --- packaging, flavor variety, temperature and availability -- increases milk consumption as well as school meal participation," said Vanessa Miles, registered dietitian for American Dairy Association & amp; Dairy Council Mid East.
"Children's low calcium intake is recognized as a major public health problem. Increasing milk consumption at school helps students meet their calcium need and build stronger bones and better bodies," Miles said.