It makes sense that kids would know best what other kids would like to eat.

That’s why culinary students from eight public high schools put their heads together to come up with some nutritious, inexpensive grab-and-go breakfast items at a competition last week at Kapiolani Community College. The winning sweet and savory results: a fruity acai bowl and a cheesy beef and egg burrito.

Teams from Moanalua and Pearl City high schools each won $1,000 first-place prizes in the Jump Start Grab &Go Breakfast Challenge. Albert Scales, administrator of ‘Aina Pono, the state Department of Education’s food service division, said the contest was designed to incorporate the students’ voices for its Jump Start Breakfast Initiative, affecting 10 schools in a statewide pilot program.

The DOE is hoping a reinvigorated breakfast menu will get more students to eat the morning meal, which impacts levels of attendance, behavior, discipline and achievement. Despite its longtime availability and low cost, Hawaii ranks second lowest in the country for student participation in school breakfast programs.

About 25 contestants were required to prepare their dishes in advance and deliver them frozen so they could be tested for freezing and reheating. All dishes were required to contain 2 ounces of whole grain per serving, have no trans fat and cost $2 or less per serving.

Juniors Mikah Takayesu and Ashlynn Saffery of Pearl City High School won first place for their savory dish, a breakfast burrito consisting of an egg, cheese, caramelized ground beef and green onions, wrapped in a whole-wheat tortilla.

Their teacher, Shawn Kimball, said they wanted to create something the cafeteria could reproduce and serve easily. Kimball guided them in undercooking the eggs slightly so the burrito could be frozen and reheated later to deliver perfectly cooked eggs.

The team used mostly local ingredients and increased the fiber content by using a whole-wheat tortilla, she said. Yet “it only cost $1 to produce it.”

Moanalua High School sophomore Ashley Hendrickson and senior Gilliah Bode took the contest’s other top prize for their sweet acai bowl, made with a frozen blend of mixed berries, yogurt, whole-grain oats and a drizzle of local honey.

Teacher Lars Mitsuda said they thought it would freeze well, and it was healthy because of the fruit. “This dish tastes really good,” he added, and said his students figured it would appeal to others their age because they like to eat it themselves.

If the entire dish is sold frozen, it would only take about 10 minutes to thaw, making it fast and easy for kids to eat, Mitsuda said. Another serving option would be to scoop the thawed acai mixture into dishes, then add the oats and honey.

Other teams competing were from Aiea, Campbell, Kaiser and Mililani high schools on Oahu, and from Maui, Baldwin and King Kekaulike high schools.

First lady Dawn Amano-Ige spearheaded the DOE initiative, funded in part by the nonprofit No Kid Hungry campaign, in partnership with Hawaii Appleseed and Safeway Foundation.

The new breakfast items will be offered at Fern, Linapuni, Hilo Union, Kapiolani, Ewa, Waianae and Leihoku elementary schools; Central Middle and Waianae Intermediate schools; and Waiakea High School.