After reading the children's book Frindel—which tells the story of a little boy organizing a boycott of the school cafeteria—students at William V. Wright Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada, decided it was time to initiate a few changes in their own lunchroom. However, they insisted on doing it in a more peaceful manner. They wrote letters to the lunch lady, Connie Duits, carefully complimenting her but also asking if she could lay off the reheated frozen green beans, a staple at the school.
One boy wrote: "Anything, anything—I'll even eat broccoli."
"We love the rest, but we hate the green beans," added Vivian Palacios.
The cutest letter was Zhong Lei's: "Dear Mrs. Duits, The food is so yummy and yummy. But here are [sic] one problem. It is the green beans."
As a result of the students' peaceful prodding, the student services department selected a group of grade schoolers to sample new menu items, allowing them to vote for the foods they liked best. Corn and carrots made the cut; cooked peas and green beans were shown the door.
"They were so excited to get a response back," said Constantine Christopulos, the students' teacher. "I taught them the pen is mightier than the sword, and hopefully they will remember that forever."
