With 28 years of experience in child nutrition, plus having grown up on a dairy farm, Jody Ornellas knows all about the 9 essential nutrients in milk and why it’s important for her students to start the day with a great breakfast featuring milk.
As Child Nutrition Supervisor for Gilroy High School in Gilroy, California, Jody was involved in setting up a special breakfast program where students were offered hot and cold cereals, yogurts and fruits on a breakfast bar, alongside gallons and half-pints of milk.
After providing this breakfast bar, Jody saw her students’ consumption of milk increase—by more than 10 gallons of milk each day – and she was able to educate them on the importance of milk as a nutritional staple.
Not only did white milk consumption increase, but kids drank more flavored milk as well. Over 200 students a day were enjoying at least one type of milk beverage at the new breakfast bar at Gilroy High School.
Jody also understands that teens tend to fall short on many nutrients foundin milk, and knows that lowfat flavored milk is a way to get 
them in a tasty package! She likes to help parents learn more about flavored milk too – especially that it has same 9 essential nutrients as white milk, and that if it was removed from schools, that students wouldn’t drink as much white milk in its place, and wouldn’t be getting the nutrients they need.
So, she works every day to help educate her student and their parents – all about milk. And her efforts to increase consumption and provide a better source of nutrition for her students have paid off … in the breakfast bar!
