9-year-old makes passionate plea to school district for better mac and cheese: 'I had to use milk'

A 9-year-old has an interesting opinion on the food options in his school area. This third grader, Killian Palmer, enrolled at Lanigan Elementary, recently addressed an important issue for the Farmington Board of Education, reported Hometown Life. He said the mac and cheese at the school was not very good. “Do you like macaroni and cheese?” Palmer said during a board meeting. “I’ll pack a lunch on macaroni and cheese day, and I’m going to tell you why. Macaroni and cheese at Lanigan are not that good. But I am going to tell you why Lanigan needs better mac and cheese.”

Palmer had written a persuasive essay on the topic as his school assignment and then he read it to his school. He explained in his essay that mac and cheese at his school are often overcooked and even burnt, cold and does not have the best cheese-to-noodle ratio. He's asking for better mac and cheese at all Farmington schools.

“That’s why Lanigan needs better mac and cheese, and that’s why you should pack a lunch. It didn’t taste great,” he said. “I had to use milk to wash it down." Board members agreed to discuss the matter in a future meeting agenda, adding that more microwaves in schools or cafeteria upgrades may be needed.

“I’m interested in understanding what cafeteria improvements were made or not made to Lanigan versus other schools,” Treasurer Terri Weems said. “Maybe we can compare whether the warming centers are consistent.” Two days later, Palmer noticed a change in his school's mac and cheese. “When I got my mac and cheese, it was perfect, even, it was hot,” he said. He wants to encourage other children and let them know that voicing their opinion is crucial.

While Palmer led positive change by asking for better food in his school area, another school-going student, Angie Fogarty invented a sensor that could detect if one's drink has been spiked or not, reports Smithsonian Magazine. “I started crying, it was so exciting,” said Fogarty about her reaction when her experimentation proved fruitful. The purpose of the invention is to thwart incidents of drink-spiking and drug-facilitated sexual assaults by detecting the presence of diphenhydramine (DPH), an ingredient in Benadryl that induces drowsiness.

Fogarty had always aspired to work on a project related to women's health. While searching for colleges, she repeatedly came across reports about incidents of drink-spiking and drug-facilitated sexual assaults taking place on various campuses. She expressed dismay, stating that unfortunately, many young people, particularly women, are not assured the fundamental right to safety.

Fogarty's innovation made her one of 40 finalists in the 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search, the country's oldest and most renowned high school science and math competition. As a finalist, Fogarty received $25,000 and wants to pursue patents and marketing for the sensor and its extended use. From food to drinks, all the positive changes are coming from these young and brilliant minds!