Paga 10 Section II Portland Observar Thursday. Juna M . 1M0
Emphasis on nutrition
By Stephanit Cote
In an age where junk foods dominâtes the (Hets of
millions o f teenagers. It Is amaslng to find a young
person committed to establishing batter nutritional
habits for her peen. Such a young missionary is Deena
Ford, a sixteen year old Junior at Jackson High School.
Deena became involved with nutrition two yean ago
when she was one o f four delegates chosen, to represent
the Portland Public Schools, at the fln t Annual Youth
Advisory C ouncil C om m ittee held in C olorado,
Springs. Her active participation in this national con­
vention, lead to her appointment as chairman at the
Second Annual Youth Advisory Northwest Region
Convention. Her duties as Chairman put her in charge
o f six northwestern states, Oregon, W ashington,
Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. During her of­
fice as chairman, Deena collaborated with six different
states for better nutrition in schools and improvement in
school luncheon menus. In 1979, Deena traveled to
Washington, D .C ., for a Planning Workshop o f the
Regional chairman and co-chairman for the N orth­
western area.
In 1979, Deena traveled to San Francisco for the
American Food School Service National Convention.
Attending the convention were all professionals and
delegates in the Field o f nutrition.
In 1980, Deena was selected by a committee o f
Congressmen to be on the United States Department of
Agriculture Advisory Council for Children's Nutrition.
Ironically with Deena's successful achievements and
diverse travels, she doesn't plan to pursue a career in
nutrition. Instead, she aspires to be a television broad­
caster.
Her diversity in basketball, volleyball, softball and
track, can probably be attributed to her concern with
nutrition and proper health care. Deena believes that
"eating better has helped her performance in sports.”
and her physical appearance applauds her physical Fit­
ness.
When asked by the Observer, what she thought o f the
quality o f Portland Public School lunches, Deena noted
that, "since my involvement with nutrition programs,
the quality o f lunches has improved."
When asked what could be improved in the school
lunch programs, Deena expressed a desire to see a wider
Reserve
offers
training
As the jo b m arket
becomes more and more
competitive, well-trained
applicants w ill have the
edge. Because o f the
lim ite d number o f em­
ployment possibilities in
the Black com m unity,
Black youths w ill con­
tinue to miss out on the
skill tra in in g necessary
for most jobs. There is
howevr, an excellent
possibility for vocational
training by the U.S. A r­
my Reserve for those who
are eligible, thus giving
Black youth a com ­
petitive edge.
A recruit attends seven
weeks o f Basic Training
follow ed by Advanced
T r a in in g I n d iv id u a l
T ra inin g (A IT ), which
teaches specific job skills.
A IT varies in length
depending on the s k ill
chosen by the Revervist.
F ollow in g this s k ill
tra in in g the Revervist
returns to the local unit
and perform s that jo b t
during 16 hours o f
m onthly d rills and two
weeks
of
A nnual
Training.
The A rm y Reserves
teaches over 300 jo b
skills, nearly half o f them
d ire ctly related to a
civilhan career field.
It's because o f this skill
tra in in g , recognized as
among the best in the
co un try,
that
many
young people are able to
o ffe r the q ua lifica tion s
needed for a good civilian
job.
»
DEENA FORD
selection o f lunch menus for more grade schools and
high schools. Too often, children are able to select just
one lunch.”
On the subject o f fast-food places, Deena didn’ t see
any harm, except that many people abuse them as a
place for everyday meals. Often, it has been said that
“ good health is the key to every man’s success.” Deena
Ford ce rta inly has proven i t ’ s tru th beyond all
reasonable doubt.