Floresta Elementary School second grade students were visited by Captain Citrus, the mascot from the OJ4NRG tour, a program put together by the Florida Department of Citrus to enlighten students about the many benefits of Florida citrus. Students learned that oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits are special kinds of berries, and that most of the world’s citrus comes from our own state of Florida. Orange juice provides vitamin C, potassium, folate, calcium, and vitamin D, and is free of fat and contains no sodium or cholesterol. Students learned that the citrus industry employees nearly 76,000 workers and positively impacts the economy of our state to the tune of about $9 billion dollars per year. That’s a lot of oranges! According to Ariel Ball from Julie Gray’s class, the very best part of the program was the tasting of the citrus. She said oranges and tangerines are really sweet, but grapefruit are sour. Students and teachers enjoyed the program and learned a great deal about the nutritional value of citrus, as well as how it is grown and processed. Pictured are students in Holly Patterson’s class.
