A new beverage breakfast bar at El Dorado High School is encouraging students to enjoy the most important meal of the day for free.
The bar offers students a variety of grab-and-go breakfast items, including smoothies, yogurt parfaits, and flavored cold brew coffee, providing a fast and convenient breakfast option for busy mornings.
“I find it really cool to get up, come here and then have my breakfast,” said 12th-grader Amani Ruffin. “Because if I didn't eat at home (and I’m) in a rush to go to dance (class), it's always here for me and it’s here for everyone. And the (cafeteria staff) are really nice to us, too.”
The Socorro Independent School District received $47,000 from Dairy Max, a nonprofit dairy council, to create the beverage breakfast bar and pay for the necessary equipment, including immersion blenders and carts.
“The partnership between Dairy Max and Socorro ISD is huge,” said SISD Child Nutrition Services Director Shelley Chenausky. “We're going to apply for another grant this year, and so we just appreciate that they want to help students to have nutritious meals. It’s a great partnership.”
All six of SISD’s comprehensive high schools and Mission Early College High School offer a breakfast beverage bar to encourage students to have their first meal of the day.
Studies indicate that consuming breakfast can have a positive effect on academic achievement.
Christina Valenzuela, Child Nutrition Services manager at El Dorado, hoped that the new beverage breakfast bar would entice more students to eat breakfast and potentially enhance their academic performance.
“Hopefully it will increase (student) participation,” Valenzuela said. “Our first meal is important. That way we have something in our system for all day.”
Although El Dorado has a variety of breakfast options for students, sophomore Carlos Mena appreciated that his fellow Aztecs now had more choices, especially since the coffee was free for students.
“I always make sure I have coffee in the morning,” Mena said. “And it's like, ‘Oh, I'm going to have to pay for it every day. It's like paying so much. But today, I found out that we have free coffee, and it's really good.”