Does Back-to-School mean Summer is Over?

I wasn’t a great Latin student, but I lived by the motto coined by my high school Latin Club members – semper ubi sub-ubi, “Always wear underwear.” (Ubi means “where,” but you get the idea, this was high school.) 

Mr. Ferry, my Latin teacher, drove a two-door Honda Civic. He used to say, in Latin, of course, that “On the path to Mt. Olympus, the chariot of Zeus would strike any rabbit that ran across its path.” 

If you mistranslated a passage during class, Mr. Ferry, or Zeus, as he preferred to be called, would walk to the wall and grab a pounded metal lightning bolt made for him by a shop student in the 1960s. “Don’t look up to Mt. Olympus if you are not worthy,” he would say while making jabbing motions with his lightning bolt in the direction of the poor red-faced Latin student (usually me). 

Back-to-School

Back-to-School in suburban Philadelphia in the late 1980s, meant September, after Labor Day. In 2023, the return to classrooms in many parts of the country starts in early or mid-August. Working parents and students may find relief to get back to their regular routines and the good news is that summer isn’t over even if students’ summer breaks are. 

Summer fruit is peaking now, with peach and nectarine varieties at their height and early grapes coming into harvest soon. So even if you are back at a desk–in a classroom or in an office–you can still enjoy the tastes of summer for a few more weeks.    

Farm-to-School

Some of you might not know about our Farm-to-School program. In 2008, We began serving public schools in California who received federal Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) grants to bring local farms’ produce directly to students in underserved communities. We developed a nutrition education program, including classroom and cafeteria posters and video resources, that we provide for free with any order. We partner with food service staff to help combat obesity and related diseases, improve student nutrition, reduce hunger, and inspire wellness and the joy of eating healthy, farm-fresh produce. 

We now serve thousands of students in public, private, and parochial schools. If you know of a school that would benefit from receiving produce from a regional farm or help with federal or California grants to bring healthy food to their students, please check out our Farm-to-School website.