Students at Schwegler School try to answer questions about healthy eating during a lesson offered Thursday by nutrition educators from The Community Mercantile Co-op, 901 Iowa.

A loud chorus of “ew” came from Schwegler School students as Nancy O’Connor, the director of education and outreach at The Community Mercantile Co-op, poured out four and a half cups of sugar, the amount you would have if you drank two sodas for seven days.

“I was just like, ‘Wow,'” said sixth-grader Elyse Boxberger. “I didn’t know how much sugar that was.”

The Merc’s presentation Thursday was part of the school district’s wellness initiative, which pushes students to eat healthy and stay physically active.

The nutrition section is the struggle, O’Connor said.

“It’s really about empowering kids and adults with information to make good choices,” she said.

The kids ate up the message.

“I better cut down and exercise more,” Elyse said.

Classmate Kyle Berkley is all about making good choices now.

“You can get a salad instead of fries,” the sixth-grader said. “And no cheese.”