As your ANC Steering Committee Chair, I have had the privilege to help plan this year’s action-packed ANC! Some of you may be on the edge “should I go or should I stay.” Well, I’d like to remind you that, as the saying goes, you can't WIN if you don’t PLAY! This year’s conference is a sure bet for finding winning solutions for your school nutrition program! Forget about the gaming tables on the Las Vegas Strip, ANC will feature the hottest “games” in town with seven program tracks to choose from:

• Financial Management/Operations
• Hot Topics
• Human Resources
• Marketing
• Nutrition
• Professional Skilling Building
• USDA/Commodities
  

Within each of these tracks you’ll find a wide variety of individual education sessions, including these winners:

• Pssst…Gossip in the Kitchen
• Ten Feet Tall & Bulletproof: Top Traits of Leaders
• Stirring the Pot…Pet Peeves that Raise Our Boiling Point

Also, be sure to stay tuned for announcements on Hot Topic sessions that will address charge policies, equipment, indirect costs, and much more. If you need a little head start on your learning, consider registering for one of the Pre-Conference sessions. They promise to give you in-depth, insider information on some the more complex issues facing child nutrition. Here are just a few we have lined up:

• Financial Management: A Course for School Foodservice Directors
• Solving the Food Allergy Puzzle
• Step Up to the HealthierUS School Challenge

Walk down the ANC “Strip” and you’ll come across the Child Nutrition Showcase, featuring recent research and best practices in child nutrition. There is a roulette of ideas to see as you make your way around the different displays.  

What happens in Vegas comes back with you from Vegas! So don’t just sit there—start looking through the information on SchoolNutrition.org and let me know what looks like a sure bet for you.

Peggy Eller
ANC Steering Committee Chair

Hi, my name is Debbie Engels, and I am a Technical Support Trainer for Clark County School District here in Las Vegas.  I've lived in Las Vegas for many years, and people are always asking me what there is to do here beside gambling.   There are so many popular things to do, and many of these are available away from the Strip.  Activities extend well beyond sitting in front of a slot machine all night!  However, if you prefer to stay on the Strip, there is more to do than spend hundreds of dollars on shows.  For example, in front of the Bellagio Hotel there are beautiful fountains that dance about every half hour, and are accompanied by music and a light show.  Personally, I enjoy just walking down the strip and through the extravagant malls and observing the eclectic decor.  On the other hand, if you're feeling more adventurous and don't mind spending about $200 per person, check out the all new "Dinner in the Sky" attraction, where you can dine on a "sky car" that is suspended 180 feet above the Strip.  You can enjoy cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, a champagne toast, amazing entrees, and a souvenir red carpet photo -- all while rotating 180 degrees in your sky car. Other popular Strip attractions include the many shows available at each hotel, art galleries and especially the Bodies Exhibition at the Luxor Hotel, for those who feel like learning more about their own body.  Don't forget to go down by the "older" strip and check out the Fremont Street Experience too!
 
As you can tell, attractions on the Strip are almost infinite.  But in my opinion, I think the best Las Vegas attractions are away from Las Vegas Blvd.  When you look out your window at the dry desert landscape, it's hard to imagine that this entire city was once home to natural springs and an abundant water source.  As a result, the Springs Preserve was built to teach people about Las Vegas' past and get them to start thinking about the future and start their own conservation.  It's about 180 acres and features trails, galleries, a theater, and even an interactive children's exhibit.  On the other side of town you can go to the Big Dig, which I hear is very fun since you can relive your childhood dreams and get dirty by playing all day in a big sandbox!  You can operate a real bulldozer and dig trenches, bulldoze big piles of dirt, and even stack cars on top of each other.  But if you don't feel like getting dirty, you can check out Mount Charleston, the Atomic Testing Museum, take a ride at the Mini Grand Prix, or even take a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon.  Whatever you decide to do while here at ANC, you definitely won't be bored!
 
Have you started making plans? Share them here…
 
Debbie Engels
Local Arrangements Chair
Tech Training Specialist
Clark County SD