How healthy is the lunch your child is eating at school? It's a big question this fall, with a new report that about one out of every three kids is overweight. But our local schools are working hard to teach kids to eat right.

Schools and parents admit this can be a difficult task, but it's a very important one. For a growing number of students, the cafeteria can be the main source of nutrition for the day. The challenge is serving up a health lesson students will take to heart.

But this isn't exactly the school lunch you remember. Yes, you'll see french fries, but they're baked, not fried in grease. Soda pop's been taken off the menu, zucchini gets mixed into the muffins, and the salad bar's full of fresh vegetables.

A new Centers for Disease Control study shows 30% of kids are overweight. One in three born in the year 2000 will have diabetes at some point in their lives. When you consider that more than half the students at Auburn High are on a free or reduced lunch program, a healthy meal at school is vital. Killian says, "It possibly may be the only meal they get for the day, and so it's really important for us to get the nutrition out there for them. They're not eating junk food. We make sure we round it out."

In fact, statewide, schools served a half million more free or reduced price lunches last year compared to the year before. But are students getting the message on nutrition? Not always. As student Kathryn Blakely says, "It's difficult, it's hard, because they're like, why would I eat healthy when there's other good food here. I'm like, because it's good for you, and it tastes good."

The hope is as more students learn nutrition lessons behind the counter in culinary arts, they're more likely to stick to the lesson plan when they're on the other side. And there's a bonus, says budding young pastry chef Rowland Quinit. "You know, girls like guys that cook."

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