Asked which school meals were their favorites, students at a public school in the New York borough of Queens don't say chicken fingers or meatballs. Instead, they name rice and kidney beans, black bean quesadillas or tofu with Chinese noodles. "Whoever thought they would hear a third-grader saying that they liked tofu and Chinese noodles?" asked Dennis Walcott, New York City schools chancellor. Walcott was at the Active Learning Elementary School this week to celebrate its move to all-vegetarian meals five days a week. The school of nearly 400 students, from pre-kindergarten to third grade, was founded five years ago on the principle that a healthy lifestyle leads to strong academic achievement.
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Queens school sees health and nutrition as part of educating the whole child
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Many students were used to vegetarian meals at home, officials say
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The school began offering vegetarian meals daily in January
@placeholder schools -- which provide meals for 1.1 million students daily -- offer principals vegetarian and nonvegetarian lunch options.