According to Annette Bomar

Hopgood, director of the state DOE's School and Community Nutrition Program,

periodic or transient hunger and poor nutrition impacts all students regardless

of age, gender, race, or economic background.

"Students who do not eat

meals regularly or that eat poorly will not be physically or mentally

capable of learning at their maximum potential," she said. "Students

benefit when food choices are of the best quality, the flavor of food

is good, and food is attractive when served. The Fulton County School

System is to be commended for its high participation of students eating

lunch each day."

Schools that earned this distinction

generally share two common characteristics: administrators, faculty, and

staff who show their support for good nutrition by participating in the

program themselves and who believe the program enhances the learning process,

and many of these schools offer a wide variety of menu choices daily,

allowing students a greater opportunity to select a nutritionally complete

meal that they enjoy.