The sight of bright red apples in the hands of Upper School community members during Apple Crunch Day today marked the beginning of Convent of the Sacred Heart’s first annual Wellness Week. During the first minutes of third period, the sound of 350 people biting down on apples resonated through the halls.
Upper School Science Teacher and Chair of the Science Department Dr. Victoria Landry’s Nutritional Chemistry and the Brain class is hosting Wellness Week November 9 through 13. Dr. Landry’s students will plan and present different events for each day of the week to raise awareness about food accessibility, nourishment, and health.

Among the student-directed events featured this week is a video interview with Sacred Heart chef Mr. Jamie Patterson about the school’s lunch offerings, a presentation by a representative from the Pacific House Homeless Shelter, an exhibition of Green and Tonic products during lunch, and a video based on Michelle Obama’s Choose My Plate initiative.
“Last year the Nutritional Chemistry and the Brain class organized the first annual CSH Apple Crunch Day. The whole point of this event is to raise awareness and begin conversations about healthy eating and about food access and equity,” Dr. Landry said.
Seniors Tracey Hagan, Grace Campbell, Victoria Paternina, and Andrea Ranzilla spent the month of October planning Apple Crunch Day along with Dr. Landry and Sacred Heart’s kitchen staff.
“I am really excited about Apple Crunch Day. Last year when we did it I actually wanted to be a part of planning and learning more about it,” Grace said.

New York City celebrated the event October 24 as a part of the nationally recognized Food Day, according to bigapplecrunch.org.
Dr. Landry wanted to bring the event to Sacred Heart, as well as expand upon it. She thinks that creating a week about nutrition and food access will inform the Upper School community about the importance of healthy eating.
“I hope that members of our community at Sacred Heart will continue to have conversations about these issues,” Dr. Landry said. “We have extraordinary dining facilities and food choices here at CSH, and not everyone is so fortunate. I hope that this week piques people’s interest in personal food choices.”
– Cheyann Greirson, Co-News Editor