Centennial Lane Elementary School students will be able to enjoy healthy snacks at lunch this fall.

The Ellicott City school will begin a pilot program next school year to incorporate organic and healthy snacks into its food service, said Mary Klatko, administrator of the Howard County school system's food and nutrition service office.

The snacks would be available as part of the school's a la carte lunch menu.

If the program is successful, the system will consider offering such snacks at other county schools, Klatko said.

The snacks will include items such as granola bars, pretzels and popcorn, which may include organic ingredients, Klatko said, adding that the system is researching available products and pricing.

The idea to incorporate more healthy snacks at the school originated out of the Centennial Lane PTA's wellness committee, which presented it to the Board of Education in May 2007, said Lisa Regnante, president of the PTA and the incoming chair of the wellness committee.

"Parents are doing this in their homes, so it's natural for them to look at where their kids spend the majority of their day," she added.

She and other parents hope the program proves popular with students and profitable for the school system, Regnante said, adding that the PTA will advise parents of the program through newsletters.

Centennial Lane principal Florence Hu said many Centennial parents are "very health conscious," and that she believes the pilot program will encourage students to also become more conscious of what they eat.

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