Sec. of Agriculture Visits MacArthur Elementary

Dr. Gregory Parham, assistant secretary of agriculture for administration, stops by MacArthur Elementary School Thursday to enjoy a school lunch that features locally grown lettuce with students.

Waltham schools just received a big order of lettuce from Waltham Fields, said an announcement, as the weekend freeze hastened the need to harvest the whole crop.

Waltham schools do a great amount of local sourcing and are celebrating Farm to School Month during October.

Parham eats lunch at the school at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22.

Parham’s father was an Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service vet in Waltham in the 1950s. Parham, also a vet by trade, is visiting Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University prior to visiting the elementary school.