ONEIDA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — An award-winning farm-to-table model is taking place at Oneida Nation High School. Jessie Padron the Oneida School District’s food director is working hard to bring more local foods to the students, and he wants to make sure students know it.
Inside a greenhouse behind the Oneida Veteran’s Center, lettuce and herbs grow year-round.
“Welcome to our aquaponics for one thing,” said Kerry R Metoxin, manager of veteran’s department, “It’s constant flowing every day 24/7 for the last four and a half years.”
The self-sustaining system uses fish byproduct as nutrients to grow the plants. It takes about 45 days to go from just an inch in size to fully grown. Then, the lettuce is picked and given to schools in the area.
“Our lettuces are all healthy, nutrient and it’s for the kids, you know they’re eating good,” said Metoxin
Fifteen to 20 pounds of lettuce go to a salad bar at Oneida Nation High School every week.
“The importance is, number one it’s locally grown, number two because we don’t have to use fertilizers and chemicals in order to nurture the plants, they’re more nutritious.” said Jessie Padron. “We don’t have to transport them more than a mile from where they’re grown, they come directly to our cafeteria.”
Options on the salad bar at Oneida High School range from day to day. On a Monday in January students choose from freshly made heritage medley lettuce salad, tropical lettuce with mandarin oranges and cranberries, and an Italian pasta salad with basil.
“The aquaponics project was awarded to us from a grant from the USDA,” said Padron.
Since 40% of the school qualifies for free lunch through the Department of Public Instruction eligibility program, the whole school eats free.
But low income doesn’t mean Padron sacrifices healthy for his students.
“We have black Angus beef that’s grown less than five miles from here, we have our orchard that’s a mile and a half from here. It’s all local,” said Padron.
Fruit is also brought in from the Oneida Nation’s orchard. And behind the school, hundreds of maple trees and a sugar shack provide syrup.
“Traditionally Oneidas have tapped maple trees for hundreds, if not thousands of years,” said Padron.
The students in the district help tap the trees and collect sap. It’s a farm-to-school model. Every kid knows where their food is coming from.
