Students at W.C. Miller Collegiate in Altona were treated to an amped up breakfast menu this week in celebration of National School Breakfast Week.

A regular breakfast program is offered at the school daily, however, this week saw guest servers from the community dish out special menu items like pancakes and sausage, a yogurt parfait bar, ending the week on Friday with scrambled eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns. 

Marty and Sheridan from YFC - The Station show up every morning to help with breakfast and visit with students.

After serving breakfast once a week for two years as part of a pilot program, this is the first year that the meal is offered every day at the high school and Guidance Counsellor Denise Tonna says about 80 to 100 kids show up each morning.

"It's a totally different feel in the cafeteria in the morning...it's like a whole community gets together and the kids sit and eat breakfast together. It's fantastic."

There are many reasons why students may choose to use a school breakfast program, and Tonna feels it's important to be able to offer that nutritious start to the day.

"There are a lot of students who don't have breakfast in the morning. They may be rushing out, they may not be early eaters or they may not have breakfast to eat in the morning," she explained. "Also, some of the kids who have had breakfast come to school really early for sports or music practices and by the time eight-thirty/quarter-to-nine rolls around they're hungry again and ready for a snack."

The breakfast program at W.C. Miller offers a rotating menu throughout the week that includes toast and yogurt, cereal and fruit, and granola bars, fruit, and cheese.

The cost of operating the initiative is fully covered by the school.

Tonna oversees the program while Marty Falk and Sheridan Sawatzky from YFC - The Station volunteer every morning to help serve and visit with the students. Tonna also relies on support from fellow staff and Kip Alexander, Culinary Arts Director at the school, to make everything runs smoothly and ensure there are enough groceries.

Mayor Al Friesen joined the Telus crew at Miller for breakfast on Thursday. Submitted.