Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School

Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School (ANCS) is a part of Atlanta Public Schools, and serves a diverse community of K-8 students from the Grant Park, Ormewood Park, and Summerhill neighborhoods in Southeast Atlanta.  ANCS emphasizes a project-based curriculum in an inclusive, vibrant, interdisciplinary learning community for students of all backgrounds.

Our nutrition program, established in 2014, aims to involve students in their local food culture and community.  We provide fresh, nutritious meals made from scratch with a focus on the season, locally and ethically sourced ingredients, and a diversity of cuisines.  We engage our school community on issues of food waste, ecology, and sustainability. Produce from the garden is used in meals served at school.

The nutrition program is woven into the academic life of all students in many ways.  The nutrition staff teaches three 10 week Food and Culture classes in our production kitchen at the middle campus that cover a mix of cooking fundamentals like food safety, knife skills, and basic cooking techniques while focusing on a unique topic each term.  Past topics include regional Mexican cuisine, whole grain breads, pasta, food preservation, and holiday cooking. Student work is featured in breakfast and lunch menus whenever possible, allowing our students to contribute to their school community and to share their learning.  Lunch menus often coincide with specific grade level studies throughout the school year, resulting in meals on “3 sisters” cultivation, foods of colonial Georgia, Ethiopian & Eritrean cuisine, a black history month menu of recipes from chef Edna Lewis with all ingredients sourced from local African-American owned farms, and many more.  Our recipes have been used to enrich studies on the life cycle of plants, microbiology, mathematical concepts, and varied historical periods.

- See more at:

http://atlncs.org/school/overview/mission-vision/#sthash.10S68tXl.dpuf

https://atlncs.org/meals/

https://atlncs.org/nutrition-program/