At Waipahu High, students in the school\u2019s Academy of Natural Resources had long discussed the idea of serving their produce in the cafeteria and were excited to see it finally become reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt does help us not really rely on the mainland for vegetables,\u201d Sherlene May Abuyo, a senior at Waipahu High School said. \u201cCompared to if our students actually give produce to our cafe, it’s more fresh for our students to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For students involved in growing the produce, seeing their harvest served to classmates has been especially meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt’s very rewarding seeing how our work gets put into food that everyone else actually gets to eat,\u201d Waipahu High junior Alaiza Alvarez said. \u201cI definitely think that all schools should have some sort of system like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alvarez added that the experience has shown students how school gardens can support sustainability efforts while creating a stronger connection to food.\u201cIt really models a sustainable system of how you grow the food and everyone else gets to eat the food,\u201d she said. \u201cIt’s rewarding and sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Students also said the effort has created greater excitement around local food and where school meals come from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt’s really encouraging to see local food and local produce being integrated more into our school lunches,\u201d Waipahu High junior Kotone Springer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Springer said students appreciate knowing exactly where their food is coming from and being able to see the process firsthand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWaipahu made their own lettuce, and we’re eating it right now,\u201d she said. \u201cI’m just so excited to see their faces and their reactions to them actually trying their own lunches that were grown from our school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The expansion of micropurchasing has already demonstrated success through partnerships with small farms \u2014 such as the recent introduction of locally grown microgreens at Kahalu\u02bbu Elementary<\/a> \u2014 where produce was harvested nearby and served within days. Additional micropurchasing agreements are in development across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students at Waipahu High also hope the program continues to expand beyond lettuce to more locally grown produce and native crops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHopefully we can start working on producing more local and native species as well,\u201d Springer said. \u201cWe can be the first steps to encouraging local produce and native foods to our students\u2019 palates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Students](\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P3350236-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Lettuce](\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P3350201-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/P3350311-1024x683.jpg\")
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