VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — You might think of them as "fruit for thought" or fortune cookies, but sweeter.
Students at Kingston Elementary School are calling them something else.
"They call them 'talking bananas!'" said Stacey Truman, the cafeteria manager who wrote an inspirational message on each banana.
She's been serving breakfast and lunch for nine years at the school and wanted to motivate students a little differently.
"I do it for my kids at home, so why not bring it here and do it for them because they are like my kids," Truman said.
She decided to write thoughtful messages on more than 50 of them. Some read, "You are wise," "Keep trying" and "Never give up."
Truman stated, "Most of them I came up with myself because I would just think about what you would tell a kid or what you would want to hear yourself."
Although the banana peels get thrown away, the message still resonates with students through the entire day.
"They're reading it as they come through the line," added Truman. "It may not be what they choose, you know, that just wasn't the fruit that they wanted for the day, but they were still like, 'Oh that's pretty cool.'"
It's a memorable moment that'll be talked about beyond the lunch break.
