Print edition: 
At Prairie Elementary School in Haysville, "A" is for apple, not artificial flavoring.
The 447-student school is taking part in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, in which students receive healthy snacks one day a week and learn about nutrition. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Kansas Department of Education.
"We call it 'Fresh fit Fridays' or 'Fruitful Fridays,' " principal Marcy Aycock said.
Statewide, 113 elementary schools take part in the program. The only other Wichita-area schools are Jefferson and Skelly elementaries in El Dorado.
Aycock said the effort is particularly important at Prairie Elementary because 66 percent of students come from low-income families. Historically, those students are at a higher risk to eventually become overweight.
"Unfortunately, a lot of our families don't have the opportunity to incorporate fresh fruit or vegetables into their meals," Aycock said. "I grew up a child of poverty. We were very poor — I didn't even know what fresh spinach looked like until I was an adult. I know firsthand the importance of exposing kids to these different fruits or vegetables so at least they have options."
On Oct. 15, Prairie Elementary students received strawberries in their classrooms. The week before, they had celery.
After first-grade teacher Kari McGregor passed out strawberries to her students, she told them some brief facts about the fruit and led them in some simple number games as they chewed away.
McGregor said the program has helped in teaching science, particularly in teaching about plants. The students have been learning about vegetables that grow above and below ground.
"When you actually have it in their hands and they say, 'Oh, this is the vegetable that we talked about that grows on the top,' it makes a difference," McGregor said.
The grant program is an effort to teach children to pass up sugary snacks. Similar efforts have been taken up in different forms in schools nationwide.
The Kansas Department of Education has prohibited the sale of carbonated drinks in school vending machines statewide. The department reported that 82 percent of Kansas school districts and private schools have complied.
At Prairie Elementary, Aycock said the next step in the $25,864 grant will be to create a curriculum that connects with the healthy snacks.
"I believe a lot of it is habit and exposure — if they've never seen it or tasted it, they're probably never going to try it in a restaurant," Aycock said. "With everything with the economy and loss of jobs, it's really hard for parents to keep everything in mind. I see that as kind of our role (to teach them). Maybe they will go home and tell their parents, 'I love cantaloupe. Can we get some?' "
McGregor agreed. The program exposes students to fruits and vegetables and reinforces healthy eating habits, she said.
The school participated in the program last year and gave students lettuce, strawberries, green onions and several kinds of apples.
The children enjoyed most of the snacks, Aycock said, but at least one root vegetable didn't become a fast favorite.
"Radishes didn't go over well," she said.
