TIMOTHY LAROCHE
CLAREMONT — When members of Stevens High School’s Student Voice club pulled the cloth away from a cart to reveal a smoothie machine on Friday, an applause swept through the auditorium.
With nearly half the school, state dairy representatives and even a New England Patriots alumnus in attendance, excitement for the piece of culinary equipment ran high.
The grab-n-go breakfast cart will allow students to access nutritious breakfast foods at the start of the school day, a development that former New England Patriots guard Peter Brock said will help “awaken” students minds and bodies for the school day ahead.
“I’m here to tell you how critical and important having good nutrition and, particularly, breakfast is,” Brock said. “Breakfast is so critical and important to starting your day.”
But for freshman Prescott Herzog, the project’s driving force, the unveiling represented more than just bringing nutrition to the school — it was confirmation of a job well-done.
“There are students who are privileged and get to have that start to the day every single day,” Herzog said of students having breakfast. “And there are students who aren’t as privileged to have breakfast at the start of the day. It’s hard for them because they go to school as zombies during the first block.”
In a bid to make breakfast more accessible to those who need it most, Herzog and the other members of the club launched the breakfast cart on Friday, culminating several months of work. With $5,000 in grant funding and sponsorship from several local businesses, Herzog’s project is launched to high anticipation.
Herzog got the idea for the project last summer when he represented New Hampshire for Fuel to Play 60, an initiative of the New England Dairy and Food Council and the National Football League to promote fitness and nutrition. In July, he attended the group’s national summit in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where a presentation about venture capital captured his imagination.
“This program intrigued me because I always wanted to know about entrepreneurship and I always wanted to do a project on my own where I can work as an entrepreneur for the school,” Herzog said.
On the outset of the summit, Herzog combined his newfound entrepreneurial vision with business requirements of an Eagle Scout project, earning the opportunity to attend a workshop in October at Domino’s World Headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
It was at the workshop that he secured the initial funding for the breakfast cart — a $2,000 grant from AdVenture Capital to cover equipment costs. A subsequent $3,000 grant from the New England Dairy and Food Council would provide remaining funding for the cart itself.
“After looking at what the challenges that Stevens High School students face … only about 30 of the 500 students at Stevens eat breakfast at the school,” Herzog said.
But with more 50 percent of the school district receiving free or reduced lunch, students working on the project arranged for sponsorships from local businesses, opening the door for all students to have free access to the smoothies.
“Being involved with kids … it is wonderful to see leadership personified,” Brock said. “You brought a group of students together and you’re all driving for a common cause.”
For Herzog’s next efforts, he wants to bring similar projects and ignite the entrepreneurial spirit at the districts other schools. For now though, he said, an after-school nap will suffice.
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