Dairy Day at Cranberry Promotes Student Wellness

Written by Kristen Hogue 1/17/2020

Kaylee Knapp, Rocky Grove’s Dairy Maid, helps with the event by giving out samples of dairy products. (photograph by Hannah Niederriter)

Dairy Day at Cranberry Promotes Student Wellness

By: Kristen Hogue | 1/17/2020

Representatives from Schneider’s Dairy and Mitch-Hill Dairy Farm, along with Kaylee Knapp, Rocky Grove’s Dairy Maid, visited Cranberry High School who hosted “Dairy Day,” promoting the addition of dairy products into daily diets.

The idea for “Dairy Day” originated with Kim Daugherty, the Food Service Director at Cranberry. She attended a Penn State Co-op Extension Picnic where she, along with a friend, Patty Anderson, discussed having an event at the school to promote a more healthy diet.

Anderson helped Daugherty get in contact with Schneider’s Dairy, a local dairy company, to help put on the day’s activities.

Daugherty, in response to why it is important to display this topic, replied, “Students need to know how good dairy products are for them. They need to know the benefits of having dairy in their diet.”

During all school lunches, a large table was set up with a variety of dairy products such as yogurts, milks, and cheeses for the students to try. While students were enjoying the delicious treats, the representatives talked to them about the importance of dairy, providing interesting facts and answering questions.

Kaylee Knapp, Rocky Grove’s Dairy Maid whose duty it is to promote the dairy industry, believes that whole milk should be in all schools. She was also overheard by students saying that chocolate milk is a great recovery drink after a good workout.

When asked what message he would like to get across with this promotion, Cory Rex, the Northwest Director of Sales for Schneider’s Dairy, stated, “It is important to understand the benefits of diary, not just personally, but for the farmers and the economy, too. It is a domino effect.”

He stated the biggest problem as being that “People live too fast. They don’t eat breakfast and it’s slowing the industry down.”

The biggest misconception, Rex said, about the dairy industry is that, “It’s not good for you.”

This event will hopefully help to spread awareness that dairy is in fact an important part of a well balanced diet.

Kim Daugherty expressed that “Dairy Day” could quite possibly become an annual occasion.

Photo gallery

Cranberry students take milk samples during lunch to try winning a “Built with Chocolate Milk” towel if they guess the correct type of milk. (photograph by Hannah Niederriter)

Cory Rex, representative from Schneider’s Dairy, Kaylee Knapp, Rocky Grove’s Dairy Maid, and Kim Daugherty, Food Service Director at Cranberry, stand at the “Dairy Day” promotional table at Cranberry High School (photograph by Logan Johnson)

Dairy Maid Kaylee Knapp from Rocky Grove encourages students from Cranberry High School to test their knowledge about dairy and enter a drawing. (photograph by Logan Johnson)

Maddy Switzer, a student at Cranberry High School, tries a cheese sample provided by Schneider’s Dairy for the “Dairy Day” promotional event. (photograph by Logan Johnson)

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