Travel around the world with Port Aransas ISD’s new Passport Program

• Port Aransas Independent School District’s (PAISD) food services team started the “Passport Program.”
• The PAISD Food Services Director, Suzanne Horine, started this program to teach elementary school students about different cultures through their school lunches once a month.
• Students receive a paper passport and they get stamps when they try food from different countries.
• In addition to the food, the program teaches students about geography and different aspects of the culture.

When you think of school lunches, you probably don’t think of authentic cultural cuisine. Port Aransas Independent School District (PAISD) is changing the game, one school lunch at a time.

PAISD’s food services team started a new initiative this school year called the “Passport Program” which aims to teach elementary school students about different world cultures through their school lunches, once a month. Olsen Elementary School students all received a paper passport, which they can then collect stamps after trying food from a certain country that’s offered in the cafeteria.

“You know, if you’re passionate about something, you like to share it with others. It was just an idea that got a lot of support through the administrators and, of course, the teachers,” Suzanne Horine, PAISD Food Services Director, said.

The program isn’t only about delicious food. There are also other educational, cultural lessons included in the Passport Program.

“So, everybody’s been really excited about it, really open about it. We also, so part of it is we have a map in all of the schools that shows where Port Aransas is, and then the country we travel to, the distance in miles, and then how long a flight would be if you were able to fly directly from Corpus Christi,” Horine said.

So far this school year, the food services team has served up cuisine from Germany and Cuba, which Horine says were a hit.

“What we’re doing is we’re offering just a culinary entree, sides, from different countries. And so, so far, we’ve done Germany and Cuba,” Horine said. “Germany was really successful. We had bratwurst, and potato soup, and the soft pretzels.”

Horine says the incentives of passport stamps and other prizes motivate the students to go out of their comfort zones and try new foods.

“It is fun seeing the kids come through the line. They get excited about getting their passport stamped, trying the new foods,” said Horine.

Horine’s son Tobias is a 4th grader at Olsen Elementary, and he said he hopes France can make it on the list.

“It’s the continents. And it says where the Eiffel Tower is, they got pizza, waffles, and fries,” Tobias Horine said.

Overall, the Passport Program is an interactive way for young students to expand their knowledge of other cultures through the universal language of food.

“Seeing somebody try it, just try it a little bit and them being like, it’s not as bad. So expanding their palate has been probably the best part,” Horine said.

Horine and the food services crew plan to serve up Indian cuisine for the next cultural day in December.

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