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Duxbury schools banish birthday cupcakes
Boston Herald ^ | 6/4/2004 | Boston Herald Staff

Posted on 06/04/2004 11:04:01 AM PDT by saveliberty

Duxbury schools banish birthday cupcakes By Herald staff Friday, June 4, 2004

Birthday kids at Duxbury's Chandler School next fall will get dragon stickers, special seat covers and starred birthday sashes they can wear all day.

But no cupcakes - they're bad for you.

The tradition of cupcakes at school birthday parties died last month when the School Committee unanimously ratified a new handbook that redefines the way students celebrate in class.

``I'm a little saddened,'' said Chandler parent Nancy Krahmer, who favors healthy eating but mourns the loss of the childhood ritual.

School officials made the change, part of a district-wide move to improve student health, after a poll of parents found nutrition to be one of their top concerns, Chandler School Council member Ann Kalous said.

Frequent classmate parties once had students consuming numerous unplanned cupcakes each school year.

``It would be 23 times during the year that other families would not be anticipating that their kids are going to be eating something sweet,'' Chandler Principal Deborah Zetterberg said.

The new system will substitute copious special attention for frosted goodies, Zetterberg said. In addition to the sash, seat cover and dragon sticker, each birthday kid will get a birthday pencil.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Miscellaneous; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: childhoodobesity; control; foodpolice; healthnuts; obesity; schools
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To: saveliberty
I think this was a smart move. 23 times a year with a normal 9 month calendar, the kids are having a cupcakes party almost every week. We had occasional parties when we were kids, in class, but nothing that frequently.

The school should be looking at the planned meals too. They are often terrible and packed with carbs.

The following are stats on childhood obesity and how it has increased over the last couple of decades. I think the schools are a large part of the problem. The school isn't interfereing with parenting. They are simply acting responsibly (for once) while the children are under their care.

From the following link:

Childhood Obesity

Prevalence and Identification
About 15.5 percent of adolescents (ages 12 to 19) and 15.3 percent of children (ages 6 to 11) are obese. The increase in obesity among American youth over the past two decades is dramatic, as shown in the tables below.

Table 1.
Prevalence of Obese Children (Ages 6 to 11) at the 95th percentile of Body Mass Index (BMI)
1999 to 2000 15.3%
1988 to 1994 11%
1976 to 1980 7%

Table 2.
Prevalence of Obese Adolescents (Ages 12 to 19) at the 95th percentile of Body Mass Index (BMI)
1999 to 2000 15.5%
1988 to 1994 11%
1976 to 1980 5%

41 posted on 06/04/2004 3:42:40 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: saveliberty

"School officials made the change, part of a district-wide move to improve student health, after a poll of parents found nutrition to be one of their top concerns, Chandler School Council member Ann Kalous said."

They're damned if they do, damned if they don't. Looks like they're following the wishes of the parents. How can you fault them?


42 posted on 06/04/2004 3:49:52 PM PDT by ladylib
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To: EggsAckley

I was a child during the depression and WWII----we couldn't afford cupcakes.


43 posted on 06/04/2004 4:25:29 PM PDT by Mears
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To: saveliberty

Pickles instead.


44 posted on 06/04/2004 4:27:54 PM PDT by Studebaker Hawk (GUNS: more than I need; not as many as I want.)
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To: Mears

I don't remember ever having an in-class birthday party for anyone when I went to school. I remember in fifth grade we had a bake sale the day before Christmas Eve to raise money for whatever the school was raising money for and eating a brownie that I bought.

In the third grade, a class mother brought in sugar cookies in the shape of valentines for the class on Valentine's Day.

That's about it. School let out a 1 o'clock the day before Christmas Eve and the Thursday before Good Friday.

Oh, and when I was a senior in high school, the only teacher I ever had the most minimal personal conversation with in 13 years of public school education (three or four sentences) tossed me a piece of candy.


45 posted on 06/04/2004 4:59:56 PM PDT by ladylib
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To: saveliberty

OH NO!! AN UNPLANNED CUPCAKE.......AURRRARHHHH!!!

What do you expect from people who plan every part of their lives?


46 posted on 06/04/2004 5:03:22 PM PDT by mlmr (Tag-less - Tag-free, anti-tag, in-tag-able, without tag, under-tagged, tag-deprived...)
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To: AQGeiger

In my school district the government educrats are lobbying for in school clinics to provide care to adolescents without parental involvment....they are quite open about this.

Also, any primary or elementary school child can have up to five sessions with the school counselor without parental notification....
Unbelievable.

And I have no choice but to use this twisted system this year.


47 posted on 06/04/2004 5:07:32 PM PDT by mlmr (Tag-less - Tag-free, anti-tag, in-tag-able, without tag, under-tagged, tag-deprived...)
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To: ladylib

I don't know when this birthday party thing in school started either.


48 posted on 06/04/2004 6:14:23 PM PDT by Mears
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To: Lunatic Fringe
My birthday is in July too. I got gyped too. I demand reparations. I see a class-action suit. WE HAVE BEEN WRONGED!!! Why the emotional trauma alone that we summer babies have endured is worth millions. First we sue our parents. Then the doctors, hospitals, labs, involved in our non-prime birthday month arrivals. And then the school districts. Thousands of them. And the NEA (I have always wanted to sue the NEA.)

We can retire Luna. Fringe...retire!!!

PS...my B-Day is the 21st...what's yours?

49 posted on 06/04/2004 7:04:07 PM PDT by PennsylvaniaMom (FreeMartha)
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To: areafiftyone
"Just plain mean."

Ditto!

50 posted on 06/04/2004 7:07:22 PM PDT by spunkets
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To: saveliberty

Now what exactly do they have against me?;-)


51 posted on 06/04/2004 7:27:01 PM PDT by cupcakes
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To: saveliberty

PS my daughter attended a private religious kindergarten this year. Each child brought snacks for the week on a rotating schedule. Somehow even with multiple kudos bars, chips, and cheese crackers, these kids all managed to stay normal sized children. I guess the fact that recess and all the games played during it has not been outlawed at our school makes a big difference in that regard;-) It's simple--the kids play for about 20 minutes until they can't play anymore and then they come in for a well-deserved snack.


52 posted on 06/04/2004 7:29:06 PM PDT by cupcakes
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To: areafiftyone

I think you are right. I don't let mine run the streets, but we fenced the backyard in so that they can come and go as they please back there during long summer afternoons. The kids would play out there all day if given the chance.


53 posted on 06/04/2004 7:30:43 PM PDT by cupcakes
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To: cupcakes

Sorry, you're banned from school.


54 posted on 06/04/2004 7:32:40 PM PDT by Amelia
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To: saveliberty

Maybe they'll reinstate the previous banned dodgeball...and let let them throw cupcakes at each other, instead.


55 posted on 06/04/2004 7:33:36 PM PDT by Focault's Pendulum (Simple physics: Heat sand hot enough...it becomes Glass!)
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To: saveliberty

This is indeed sad. The food marxists deem childhood fun off limits. These people are cruel and must be stopped.


56 posted on 06/04/2004 7:36:34 PM PDT by earlyamerican
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To: EggsAckley

The schools aren't providing it though. Parents generously make the cupcakes in honor of their own children's birthdays and those same parents are free to honor it in a different way if they like--some who are more health conscious may bring a fruit snack in for the kids or make a small bag of goodies on their child's bday.
I don't know how the schools would deal with my child's school, I really don't. It is small so it is not unheard of for a parent in the upper grades to provide pizza that afternoon for their child's classmates in honor of a bday-whoa is me.
I think there is a better solution. What about everyone chip in and the school can provide ONE cake each month for the kids in honor of the bdays that month? The kids will only get cake 10 times(assuming they have one cake for all the summer bdays too) instead of a 28 times for each student. Seems like that would have been a better midway solution then banning cake alltogether.


57 posted on 06/04/2004 7:36:38 PM PDT by cupcakes
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To: Amelia

Because of this thread or the one on teacher's salaries;-)


58 posted on 06/04/2004 7:39:42 PM PDT by cupcakes
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To: cupcakes
GOD!!--

A Kid will "Burn Off" a "Cupcake" in 15Minutes of activity!

The PROBLEM ISN't the Calories; The Problem is the LACK of PHYSICAL ACTIVITY!!

Grade-&-High School Children get WAY LESS Physical activity than they need.

"PC" organized physical activity is WELL BELOW the needs of a Healthy Human Child.

The PROBLEM IS, that the Physical exercise of American Schoolchildren is predicated on the Tolerance of the "Adults," (The Teachers) NOT the Children.

The Adults could NEVER "Keep up" with the Children at "Recess."

Until we STOP TRYING to "Regulate" the "Energy Expenditure" of growing Children, we will ALWAYS be unable to give Meaningful guidance to them.

"Adults" CANNOT HOPE to influence the Biological Imperatives of a Growing Child.

Doc

59 posted on 06/04/2004 8:25:51 PM PDT by Doc On The Bay
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To: FourPeas; saveliberty
I'm quite certain we don't even have a word in our language to describe how incredibly stupid this statement is. Numerous unplanned cupcakes? Did a large quantity of miniature cakes just spontaneously appear? Sounds like Bake Sale Heaven.

Oooh ... the serious social problem of *unplanned* cupcakes. Maybe if the cupcakes were *planned* it wouldn't be so bad. But we all know what you have to do with those *unplanned* ones...

60 posted on 06/04/2004 8:41:27 PM PDT by valkyrieanne
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