DATE: Thursday, August 7, 1997              TAG: 9708060181

SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 07   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MARGO MATEAS, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   53 lines

STUDENTS TAKE PART IN FOOD PROGRAM FILM

The East Suffolk Community Center has gained national recognition with the success of a new curriculum program called, ``Getting Into a Food Mood,'' a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to teaching elementary school children how food is created and distributed.

Last week a film crew from New Mexico State University gathered at the recreation center to shoot video for a new film funded by the National Center for Workforce Preparedness, a division of the National 4-H Council. The film is underwritten by Purina Mills Inc., and will be distributed to 1,000 media outlets and state 4-H offices for use in ongoing educational programs.

About 25 Suffolk youths, ages 8 to 16, participated in the curriculum, which features a workbook with information detailing every aspect of food production and distribution, with interactive activities for students that include planting herbs and vegetables, making collages and visiting a working dairy farm. The curriculum model's two-fold mission is to teach kids about the value of food growing and distribution while encouraging them to take up careers in agriculture.

The segment filmed was based on the teaching segment, ``From Apple Sauce to Toaster Waffles,'' which involved the use of a collage on food sources and planting seedlings.

Vinette Davis, 15, was called upon to hold up her pumpkin seedling before the anxious film crew. She, along with Angela Hinton, Tabitha Mann, Vernon Scott, Monique Hunt, Tiffany Gay and Vernisea and Lynette Hawk, chatted (shyly) with the film crew and displayed their progress.

Center coordinator Ethel Hart says the new curriculum has fascinated the children and given them several new opportunities to develop a better understanding of how food is produced and distributed in the United States.

``Suffolk is such an agriculturally based city that a program of this nature really hits home,'' she said. ``They learn to see the open fields as something very, very valuable not only to Suffolk, but to the whole world.''

``We want these kids to come away with this program looking at food a new way. If we can teach them that every grain of wheat is a little miracle, and how that little miracle feeds millions of people, we can change their attitudes about food for life.''

Virginia Cooperative Extension agent Clifton Slade is happy to serve as a part-time educator for the program.

``Anything that helps children understand the importance of agriculture in our society is going to get my interest,'' he smiles. Although he feels strongly that kids need to comprehend the often-complex process of food growth and distribution, he is also looking to recruit future agriculture workers.

``Today, we're just teaching them basics,'' he says. ``But we'll be there when they're seriously looking to start careers.'' MEMO: [For a related story, see page 6 of THE SUFFOLK SUN for this

date.]

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