Landmark High School Teens Win School Breakfast Video Contest

A group of teenagers at the Landmark High School in Beverly, Mass. has won the top prize in the school breakfast video contest, School Breakfast: Eat. Film. Screen, sponsored by The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Child Nutrition Outreach Program and Project Bread.

The winning video, Healthy Days Breakfast, was created by Jake Shreidan, Taylor Weeks, Kianna “Taylor” Bagdon, Davis Kline and Brad Ellis—all freshmen and sophomores at the Landmark school—under the direction of their teacher, Jim Kuhns. 

“These videos that are made by students for their own peers help us most effectively spread the message of the importance of eating healthy at school,” said Ashley Krebs, director of Child Nutrition Outreach. “Nutritious school breakfast programs are a vital resource for students that keep them both full and healthy so they can best thrive in school.” 

The Healthy Days Breakfast video beat out more than 100 other entries for the $1,000 prize, due to its creativity and effective messaging; it will also appear on WHDH-TV. The video features the main character, Healthy Days, introducing a “revolutionary new product” called cafeteria breakfast, as he touts the benefits of grains, milk, proteins, fruits and vegetables. 

“We wanted to present the video in a humorous manner so that other students would understand it better, rather than presenting it in a more ‘adult’ format that kids tend not to listen to,” said Jake.

The school breakfast video contest began in March, when students were asked to submit a short video that encouraged others to eat a healthy school breakfast. All submissions were required to feature at least one scene in a school cafeteria; they had to be fully created by students; and the meal featured had to be a reimbursable school breakfast meal, meaning it contained at least three out of four of the following categories: milk, meat or meat alternate, vegetable or fruit, and grain.

Now in its fourth year, School Breakfast: Eat. Film. Screen received a record 104 submissions from high schools across Massachusetts. The video Ace the Test, submitted by a group at Easthampton High School, won the second place prize of $300; it tells the story of a student that goes from failing to acing a test due to a healthy breakfast, all through stop-motion.

“We all believe that eating in the morning doesn’t only fill you up, but also helps you focus and succeed in school,” said co-creators Morgan Tabb, Leah Stabile, Kelly Boisjolie and Rachel Mastorakis.

Breakfast Silent Movie, submitted by a group at Sharon High School, won the third place prize of $200; the black and white movie, made to look and sound like an old silent film, compares a student who ate a healthy school breakfast with one who did not throughout their day.

“We thought this was a fun and creative way for us to promote a healthy lifestyle and influence students to make better choices in their dietary habits,” said Brandy Blaise, who created the film along with Nicholas Englander and Drew Gallagher. “Eating a healthy school breakfast sets up students for academic, physical and social success.”