Van Buren school gets sports-nutrition grant

VAN BUREN — Van Buren District Secondary School is one of three Maine schools to receive $500 Maine Nutritional Education and Learning Program grant.

Project coordinators at VBDSS are Robert Dubois, cafeteria supervisor, and Nancy Ouellette, home economics teacher. The focus of the yearlong project will be sports nutrition.

Students will analyze their food intake and learn how to follow a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. After participating in the program, athletes again will assess their food intake. Athletes will compare their stamina and endurance before, during and after participating in the project.

The program will be implemented in the fall for fall and winter athletes and next spring for spring sports.

The grant will be used to purchase resource materials, video tapes and cookbooks. Nutritional meals and healthy snacks will be provided by the school’s food services program before each game.

“We’re hoping this diet will improve student athletes’ stamina and endurance,” Ouellette said.

Judy Cogburn, nutritional education coordinator for the Department of Education, said Van Buren District Secondary School was the first school in the state to be funded for a project dealing with sports nutrition.

She said the department “looked for applicants with programs that will have the greatest impact and that (present) nutrition in a positive way” and that propose to make nutrition a part of the integrated curriculum.