“It’s an opportunity for them to settle down, a chance to interact and it sets the tone for the school day,” Venuti said, watching students take helpings of Cheerios, a multi-grain breakfast bar and fruit juice on Tuesday morning. As students sat together to enjoy their breakfast, Venuti pointed out that eating together creates a family-type atmosphere. “It gives them a sense of security,” she said.

For fifth-grade student Michaela Franklin, there are additional benefits. Michaela helps in the kitchen during the breakfast shift, preparing food trays so Laura Inglima, the school’s kitchen manager, can serve meals to the youngsters. In exchange, Michaela gets a free breakfast.

“I get to talk to Laura and visit with my friends,” she said of other benefits.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District began serving breakfasts at select schools in November 2004. Availability of staff and the financial need of families were used to determine which schools would participate in the program.

To have breakfast ready for about 25 students, Inglima turns on recorded classical music and begins preparations at 7 a.m.

Once students are in their classrooms and breakfast clutter is cleaned up, she takes a 45-minute unpaid break and then starts preparing for two lunch servings, one at 11:30 a.m. and one at noon. The number of West Homer students taking advantage of school lunches averages 130, but Inglima’s personal record is serving 211 entrees with the help of three students and one adult volunteer. By 1:30 p.m., her workday winds down.

“It has to be fast,” she said of her ability to organize the school’s meal service. She has six years experience perfecting her routine.

Although menus are created at the district-level, Inglima does some minor modifications to fit her students’ appetites, the weather and special conditions. For instance, if buses happen to arrive late, she insists that breakfast not be eliminated as a result.

“I was adamant about that,” she said of her belief that food comes before learning.

Venuti agreed. She even allows late-arriving students to eat breakfast at their desks.

At Paul Banks Elementary School, 71 kindergarteners and 27 of the 70 first-grade students were the first ones to be served lunch on Friday. Although standing in line was a challenge for the hungry, active youngsters, the wait was worth it as Kitchen Manager Kim Altman and volunteers Pearl Pyatt and Shannon, Emily and Tyler Scheff greeted them with smiles and trays of food.

Breakfast is not served yet at Paul Banks due to bus schedules that deliver students just before class starts, according to Altman, who has been a kitchen manager since 1999.

Friday’s entree was a large pretzel with cheese, a kid-friendly variation of a cheese sandwich. From three options — French fries, canned fruit and fruit juice — the youngsters could pick two selections. A frozen pudding pop and carton of milk rounded out the meal.

“Over the course of a five-day menu, the children receive approximately 650 calories for a school lunch,” said Dean Hamburg, director of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District student nutritional services. “Of those calories, only 30 percent come from fat and we have a significant contribution in fiber and vitamins A, C and D.”

Children aren’t required to take everything on the menu, but they must take the entree, some fruit and milk, according to Hamburg. Milk comes in two choices — nonfat chocolate or 1 percent fat white milk.

“We’re introducing whole grain products in pizzas and burritos later in the year,” he said. “Even our corn dogs will have a whole-grain wrapping around them. The industry is responding to the need for increased fiber and reduced fat in all school meal products.”

Following a congressional directive, Hamburg and Paula Christensen, director of the district’s elementary education/curriculum and assessment, are leading the district’s wellness committee and will have a wellness policy in place by the fall of 2006.

It will address nationwide concerns for obesity and diabetes and research school meals, vending machine operations, snacks available at student stores and physical activity.

Bette Seaman, a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator in Homer, is working with Hamburg and Christensen.

According to Hamburg, students who eat school lunches every day only get 18 percent of their annual calories from school meals. And students who consume school meals are more likely to have greater amounts of fruits and vegetables than students who do not eat school lunches. Making the meals healthy and tasty is the key.

“We kind of take some ribbing from both sides,” Hamburg said. “There’s either too much sugar or not enough fat.”

The bottom line is what gets eaten and what doesn’t.

Asked what she likes to eat best for school lunch, Shayla Jolley, a first-grade student at Paul Banks, shouted, “Burritos.” After thinking it over, however, she revised her answer.

“Pizza,” she said.

And if Michaela could have any breakfast she wanted?

“Pop Tarts and cheese sticks,” she said, laughing.