• First, I brainstormed all the things in the world that bother me or worry me.
• Then I looked for connections between all of those things to narrow down my ideas.
• When I looked over the second part of the worksheet, I realized that there were some common elements that could point me to a general theme: Eating Habits and Food.
• Once I had that done, I refined my original questions by adding specific details.
• I thought about someplace nearby that dealt with these issues and might be similar to other places in the country.
• Then, I put my question in "How can I" form.

Now, it was time to do my proposal. I had to work with Ms. Rafanelli, my mentor, to revise it so that it had enough detail, but the second draft was approved.

I looked over my proposal and figured out what I already know and what I still need to learn. Then, I created an action plan.

I started doing my research and making appointments with people I needed to speak to.

First, I went to the library to research in the online databases.  I found some articles about how the U.S. government runs the school lunch programs. I also found some organic recipes and a list of organic farms in the area.

Next, I emailed Heidi Nutti, who runs Menlo’s cafeteria, and asked her for an interview.  We scheduled an appointment.  I also called the Ravenswood School District, where Willow Oaks is, to find out who ran their food program.  I then emailed Richard Rorty, who does it, and asked for an interview. We couldn’t find a time to meet, so I asked him questions in an email and he sent me answers, including the budget for his program.

I made a list of different types of vegetables, fruit, and meat.  With my list of organic farms, I called each farm and asked them for prices on each product by pound.  I had to call an organic butcher for the meat.  Then I looked in the grocery store to get prices on non-organic versions of those things and compared them.

During my research, I met several times with my mentor. Each time, I brought with me a mentor check-in sheet. I had filled out the first three parts before the meeting, writing down what I had done so far, what had gone well, what obstacles I was running into, and what still confused me. In our meeting, my mentor helped me plan my next steps and gave me suggestions.

See my mentor check-in sheet here.

I also kept track of each step of my project on my task list. Every time I finished a step, Ms. Rafanelli would mark the date and write a comment.

Now that I had all the information I needed, it was time for me to figure out a solution to the problem of nutritious lunches at Willow Oaks. I used the solution brainstorm sheet to help me figure it out.

First, I restated my original question.

Next, I thought about what the biggest obstacles to making nutritious, good-tasting lunches happen at Willow Oaks. I realized that the biggest problem was that healthy lunches are expensive, and public schools don't have enough money in the budget to pay for them.

Then, I wrote down what people or organizations are responsible for this issue,and then figured out how I could deal with that issue. I came up with several ideas.

Finally, I decided that the best thing to do would be to write a petition to the Governor of California, the California State Senators, and the Mayor of East Palo Alto, asking them to increase the budget for public schools so that more money could be spent on healthy lunches.

See my solution brainstorm here.

Finally, I gathered all my information and made a PowerPoint presentation, explaining what kinds of food is healthy, what is unhealthy, what kids think tastes good, how school lunch programs work, where the money comes from, and how schools spend their money.  As I presented my PowerPoint, I explained each slide, using notes I had prepared.

I included the petitions and how I got signatures on a slide, and I passedout copies to the audience. 

Finally, I cooked two organic, healthy meals that taste good to bring to school to show during my presentation, and afterwards I let people taste the meals.