Alaska First Lady Sandy Parnell dines on rockfish scandia at Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary on Wednesday afternoon. Parnell was in Sitka to honor the Fish to Schools Program, which serves fresh fish lunches in three Sitka buildings. (KCAW photo/Ed Ronco)
Alaska First Lady Sandy Parnell was in Sitka on Wednesday to honor a program that offers local fish lunches to students. The Fish to Schools Program grew out of a health summit in Sitka two years ago when someone suggested serving local fish in school cafeterias.
The project is led by the Sitka Conservation Society and NANA Management, which handles the school lunch program for the Sitka School District.
Fish to Schools was named the best farm-to-school program in the state for this school year.
At Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary School, students come in the door and get in line to pick up hot lunch. They can get a hot dog or rockfish Scandia. It’s breaded with just a little cheese on top. And it’s part of the Fish to Schools program.
In the middle of the multicolored lunchboxes, sitting with a tray holding her own serving of rockfish, is Sandy Parnell, wife of Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell. She’s chatting with a group of girls.
When Mrs. Parnell asks what their favorite food item is, she confides that it’s probably chicken nuggets. But the fish is good too. And the evidence backs her up. School staff say more kids get hot lunch on days when local fish is served, and that the portions regularly run out. This particular day is no exception.
Tracy Gagnon coordinates the Fish-to-Schools program for the Sitka Conservation Society. She says the program wouldn’t be possible without help from local processors and fishermen. In addition to supplying the fish, they’ve offered tours of their plants to students, and fishermen have visited the classroom to talk about what they do.
“Fish is the backbone of this town and of the culture. And it allows them to connect deeper with where they’re from, and to be proud of the fish they have here,” Gagnon says. “We have a really well-managed fishery, and that’s something we talk about – the sustainability component of the program. They’re proud. They love it.”
The students have learned about how longlining works, how salmon fit into the overall ecosystem, and even how to cook the fish in a traditional bentwood box. Gagnon says she hopes Mrs. Parnell’s visit shows her the full scope of the program.
“This is an opportunity for her to see how important this program is and how well-received it is,” Gagnon said. “There are a number of students here who are getting to meet her, connect with her.”
Third-grade student Nicholas Oliphant comes walking up with a half-torn sheet of paper towel. It bears Sandy Parnell’s autograph, and a few others.
“Her bodyguard, her assistant and the governor’s wife,” Oliphant says.
Nicholas did not get fish for lunch today, but not because he didn’t want it.
“I didn’t know that it was fish (for lunch today),” he says. But he adds that he’s had the fish before and that it’s “really good.”
Back in the lunchroom, the First Lady is busy. She’s wearing a white apron and serving fish for a little while, then she’s over to a map of Southeast Alaska, where students are placing stickers where they think their fish might have come from. A short time later, she’s sitting at a lunch table, surrounded by students. More autograph seekers, it turns out.
“So, when I sign your autograph, you tell me what’s your very favorite fish,” she says.
When things finally settle down, Parnell says she’s been impressed with what she’s seen.
“I’m really proud of the community in Sitka, how they’ve all come together to bring fish – the most wonderful fish in the world – to our school children. That just makes sense,” she said. “The kids seem to be really happy about it. As we were serving fish, they ran out, actually. That’s great isn’t it?”
She says she’s happy to support any effort communities want to make to use Alaska-grown food resources. And, the bottom line, she says, is that she hopes what she’s seen here spreads.
“We’re moving product around all the time anyway,” she said. “If we could incorporate that to bring fish to the inland areas, and bringing Alaska produce to areas that don’t have quite the climate to easily grow Alaska produce – it’s a challenge, but we’re Alaskans. We’re up for it.”
Fish to Schools is in three buildings right now – Keet, Blatchley Middle School and Pacific High. A local fish lunch will be served for the first time at Mt. Edgecumbe High School later this month.
