by Mary-Devon Dupuy

When most people reflect fondly on their high school experiences, very few of them are reminiscing about the solid, triangular layer of cheese on the top of their slice of “pizza,” or the questionable meat patty on their “hamburger.” School lunch lines are notoriously full of processed foods that slow students down rather than pumping them full of the nutrients growing kids need to make their brains and their bodies operate at top speed. A small group of New Orleans kids decided they deserved better from their cafeterias, and they challenged a food service provider to provide them with fresh, healthy food for two days of the week. Recently, HBO chronicled their efforts, and the documentary will be screened this week so locals can see the fruits of their labor.

The Rethinkers are a group of 100 kids and ten staff members who formed in June 2006 to open up a dialogue to effect change among public school students. The genius of the whole thing is that students are empowered to speak up for themselves rather than have adults fight their battles, and it’s working. So far, the Rethinkers have successfully modified school bathrooms, discipline policies, and of course, cafeteria options.

Every summer, the six Rethinker clubs across the city join together for a six-week program to pick one issue that mobilizes New Orleans students to change their academic environments for the better. The most noteworthy victory yet was their push to make a major food service provider serve healthy, fresh, local food at least twice a week to the students in the 37 Recovery District schools.

Shari Cookson and Neil Doob were so impressed by The Rethinkers that they made a documentary, “The Great Cafeteria Takeover,” about the kids’ victories against childhood obesity. The film will be aired on HBO on May 16 at 6 p.m. as part of a companion series to the four-part HBO series, “The Weight of a Nation,” which will air on May 14 and May 15 at 6pm on both nights. You can get more info about the series at the official website.

There will be a free screening of the documentary at 7 p.m. on May 9 to celebrate the Rethinkers' contrubtions at The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (938 Lafayette St.) Filmmakers Doob and Cookson will be on hand, as well as New Orleans Health Commissioner Karen DeSalvo. The event is also sponsored by the New Orleans Film Society.

The film will also be on HBO on the following dates:

May 19 (3:15 p.m.); May 21 (4:15 p.m.); May 24 (8:00 a.m.), May 28 (10:00 a.m.) and May  30 (1:35 p.m.)