Washington Primary School students recently enjoyed an evening of tasty treats during a “healthy, yummy snacks” workshop organized by third grade dual language teacher Wendy Bonilla.
A crowd of youngsters spread across grades 2-4 and their parents turned out for the session. They learned more about the importance of healthy eating, how sugar affects the body and what to look for in the ingredients label of a food product.
The group explored how make different snacks they could consume either at home or school. The items included apple “cookies,” mini fruit pizzas, do-it-yourself trail mix and chocolate hummus. Third grader, Colby Curran, said,
“I’m glad Mrs. Bonilla held the workshop, because I learned how much sugar I can have to keep my body healthy and the snacks were really yummy,” third grader Colby Curran said.
Washington Principal Marsha Neville and teachers Jeff Dicker, Peri Alfano and Jennifer Marsh all pitched in to help make the evening a success.
A graduate of West Hempstead High School, Ms. Bonilla earned a BA degree in psychology at Boston University and an MA in education at Bank Street College in Manhattan. She joined Huntington’s faculty in September 2009. She obtained a health coach certificate at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City in May 2017.
One thing is certain, Ms. Bonilla thoroughly enjoys sharing her knowledge about healthier eating with anyone of any age who expresses interest in the topic. “I hope that by educating children and their families about how important it is to stay away from so much sugar and by showing them how easy and delicious homemade snacks can be, that they’ll get excited about including more nutritious foods in their everyday lives,” she said.
