CASE students from Houston area in global food contest

Students show off their dishes at the end of the day.

Cooperative for After-School Enrichment students from eight middle schools in Houston, Klein, Spring Branch and Stafford participated in Kids Day at Northwestern Mutual Foundation World of Health competition on Friday, May 11.

The international culinary cook-off was held at the Harris County Department of Education's North Post Oak Building, 6005 Westview, Houston.

As part of the CASE program, students in grades four through eight study health lifestyles in cultures around the world. The competition serves as the culmination of a 14-week, after-school project in which students try their hand at healthy recipes, putting into practice the good nutrition about which they learned. Along with healthy recipes, students prepare a public service announcement promoting a healthy lifestyle that incorporates a nutritious diet and exercise. The countries represented in this year's competition included El Salvador, the United States, Japan, Italy and Mexico.

CASE is a division of the Harris County Department of Education. It provides after-school programs in 100 after-school sites for approximately 12,000 students in elementary through high school in greater Harris County.

School districts and schools that participated included Houston with Crockett Elementary and Stevensen Middle School; Spring Branch with Spring Forest Middle School; Klein with Klein Intermediate and Wunderlich Intermediate; and state charter schools Yes Prep West and Southwest Middle School.

For more information about CASE, go to www.hcde-texas.org.