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LOGAN — No way was Bentley Jibina going to let taco day in the Bridger Elementary School lunchroom fade away without a fight.
In a handwritten message to Kandice Goodman, principal of the Logan school, he voiced his sentiments. Last year, tacos were pulled from the cafeteria rotation, in part because of the mess typically left behind by students after the fact.
"Bring back taco Tuesday, Mrs. Goodman! Taco Tuesday is the school favorite. If you bring it back you revive the Mexican spirit!" he wrote.
The fifth grader subsequently launched a petition drive to aid his effort, enlisting the support of his classmates. In response, the lunchroom offered up the Mexican staple on Tuesday, and students simultaneously voted on whether tacos should be reintroduced on a regular basis. Score 1 for tacos "by a landslide," Stephanie Guerrero, administrative secretary at the school, said Wednesday.
In their Feb. 1 letter to school officials lobbying for the reinstatement of tacos, Bentley and his classmates noted their ingredients, among other things. The Bridger Elementary versions contain tomatoes and lettuce — "healthy ingredients kids will actually eat" — and protein-packed hamburger. "Even the pickiest of eaters can customize their tacos to their liking," they wrote.
Significantly, the students also noted the Mexican roots of tacos, underscoring the growing presence of Mexican culture in Utah and the increasing ubiquitousness of tacos across the United States and beyond.
"The final reason we want to bring taco Tuesday back is so that we can feel the Mexican spirit at our school. When people eat tacos, it brings them joy because tacos are eaten during fun celebrations or activities. Eating tacos is also a way that we can honor the different cultures at our school," the students wrote.
Bentley is of Pacific Island descent, according to Guerrero, but speaking in the Bridger Elementary lunchroom on Tuesday — a taco on his tray — he was adamant about reviving "the Mexican spirit." Bridger is a minority-majority school with minorities accounting for 58% of the overall population and Latinos, by themselves, accounting for 42% of the school's population, according to Utah Board of Education figures.
Paul Guymon, child nutrition manager for Logan School District, said making tacos is a "labor intensive" job, which figured in the reason to pull them near the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Distributing the food to kids typically took longer than other food offerings — they were actually served on Thursdays, not Tuesdays, he noted — and tacos resulted in more of a mess for the cleaning crew to address.
But, he was impressed with the kids' zeal. Plus, getting them to eat is a big part of his battle as school district nutritionist. "By all means, we want our students to enjoy what they eat and have a nutritious meal as well," Guymon said.
Goodman, the principal, was impressed by the kids' passion and willingness to take up a cause. "I'm just proud of my students, that they were willing to jump in there to use their voice to make a change and bring back tacos because that's what they want," she said.
Guerrero said kids at the other Logan School District elementary schools also voted Tuesday on whether to reinstate tacos into the lunchroom rotation. The results at the other facilities echoed the positive response at Bridger Elementary.
"It sounds like they will (return), once a month," Guerrero said.
Contributing: Brian Champagne
