Sometimes accomplishments at work or at school deserve recognition or celebration. Upon retirement, companies will buy an employee a cake. A promotion can be a cause for a celebration. In school, graduation is an occasion worthy of a celebration. Maybe a special academic or athletic achievement could be cause for a treat.
At Grand Haven Area Public Schools (GHAPS), there’s a lot to celebrate. Lately, on top of athletic and academic achievements, students have had great success in showing up to class on time and succeeded at keeping backpacks out of the classroom. These are lofty achievements, obviously. Employers often do the same, rewarding showing up on time with a celebration. They frequently stop manufacturing production lines solely to celebrate this heroic act. I know that may seem counterproductive, since the pausing of production costs just as much time as what was lost from being late, but hey, base-level everyday expectations being met is cause for a party.
Maybe that paragraph was a little harsh. High school students at GHAPS are not adults in the workforce yet. They are children that are still learning the basics of what is expected. We are dealing with young children who have not developed these habits and consistencies yet. We are talking children who are only 14-18 years old. They cannot possibly be expected to do herculean tasks such as remembering a rule about no backpacks in classrooms, or showing up on time to class at those tender young ages. No, the school needs to continuously celebrate the accomplishment of these goals as a class.
If you do not see the absurdity yet, add this. According to GHAPS leaders, children as young as ten years of age are capable of reading pornographic and sexually themed books, complete with graphic images that cannot be posted on Facebook without getting censored. Yet high schoolers, many of whom drive to school, need candy and celebrations for the simple act of showing up on time. They apparently are still child-like enough as teenagers to respond to bribery with candy for following a simple rule, yet were adult enough to handle sexual themes and topics six years earlier. Make sense yet?
And what better way to celebrate, than with some sweet sugary treats? There is clearly nothing more conducive to the learning environment than to bring class lessons to a halt to load teenagers up with sugar. To do this, GHAPS has introduced something called the “party cart”. It has made its rounds through the high school, distributing treats to many classrooms; by now likely reaching pretty much every student. Teachers and administrators adorn dunce caps and peddle unhealthy snacks to classrooms for “accomplishing” basic expectations. Not elementary school-age children, but teenagers; many of whom are driving and working already.
Some of the treats handed out for these momentous achievements are cookies, pop tarts, and ring pops. Interesting choices, for an institution supposedly committed to the education of our children. According to tutordoctor.com, “Too much sugar can impede memory skills. Over-consumption of sugar has been proven in multiple studies to decrease memory span by literally “slowing down” the brain’s synaptic activity. Although a candy bar may be tempting before starting homework, some fruits or vegetables (or any healthy snack) will be far more beneficial to the learning process.” Another concerning point: “Sugar has a long-term effect on learning. A comprehensive study at UCLA showed that a diet high in high-fructose corn syrup literally slowed down the brains of rats. Because of the numerous effects sugar has on brain pathways and neurotransmitters, the scientists in the study concluded that sugar “over the long term alters your brain’s ability to learn and remember information.” Maybe worst of all, “Too much can cause anxiety. Although the hyperactivity myth is not true, “sugar crashes” are a very real phenomenon. Consuming too much sugar causes our brains to constantly release serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a large role in our moods and emotions. Too much can deplete these reserves, leading to feelings of anxiety and depression. Teenagers are already dealing with physical and hormonal changes as it is, and studies have shown that they are even more prone to these sugar-related crashes.”
So, let’s take a look at the contents of some of these treats.
One visit by the party cart, and students receive 60% of their daily serving of sugar from Pop-Tarts; all as they begin class, when they need to be focused to learn. Meijer cookies fare slightly better, with 13g of sugar, which equates to about 26% of daily intake recommendations, assuming students limit themselves to one cookie each.
Ring pops have 8g of sugar, which means one sucker gives a student a 16% shot of their daily serving of sugar as class begins.
Administrators and school board members have participated in this spectacle, including Assistant Principal Mike Roberson, the newly selected board president Chris Streng, and board vice-president Marc Eickholt. They all exhibited diverse leadership skills in their peddling of sweet treats to encourage healthy learning.
Marc Eickholt commented on social media on his participation:
In his post, he wrote “It was great to see the energy jump in the rooms that we visited that had no kids tardy that hour.” That’s called a sugar rush, Marc, and that is not conducive to effective learning.
As public schools push toward a “whole child approach” to education, encompassing mental, social, emotional, and physical well-being along with (more like instead of) academics, the party cart is a curious inclusion. Better yet, it is a creation of problems that the school just so happens to have solutions for; or claim to have solutions for.
Develop cavities from eating too many sweets? See the Miles of Smiles bus.
Have anxiety or depression from sugar consumption? See the counselor. Struggle to learn? They will lower the bar and give credit for “progress”, regardless of how far behind the child may actually be. And soon enough, if students develop health problems such as diabetes or obesity, children will be able to walk down the hall to a clinical office and visit an on-site doctor. Unless the school district “affirms” obesity as a virtuous form of healthiness deserving of “liberation”. All with zero parental notification or consent.
There’s one place in school that is still intended to actually help children maintain some level of physical fitness. In physical education, or PE class, students can get some of their built up energy out, release some aggression, and get their heart rate up. They can burn calories while learning about teamwork and competition. Yet, GHAPS could not leave well enough alone. That’s right, the party cart knows no bounds.
Nothing says “keeping the school safe”, like combining suckers and physical activity. But, when an accident happens, just remember: the school will soon have an in-school clinic where injured students can receive care.
As a general rule, be wary of anyone who offers both the problems and the solutions to those said problems. Also, actions speak louder than words. For all the claims of social, emotional well-being, and concern for all aspects of a student, school district actions often indicate a lack of awareness at best, or malicious disregard for students’ well-being at worst. Infantilizing high school age students by rewarding them as if they are elementary students, while simultaneously sexualizing elementary and intermediate school age children through smutty books and gender identity expression has led to confusion, and will lead to age-inappropriate behavior. When the action/consequence aspect of growing up is stalled at the elementary school level, how can you then expect those same students to graduate from high school and be ready for the real world?