Elementary students find new flavors for Whitey's

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By Jennifer DeWitt | Tuesday, June 03, 2008 |

Thomas Jefferson first grader Alicia Wunderlich, 7, samples a Funny Yummy Monkey shake. The summer shake flavor was created by Anitra Whiting’s students in honor of Whitey’s 75th anniversary and in partnership with Junior Achievement of the Heartland. (Larry Fisher/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo

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A class of first graders at Thomas Jefferson School in Milan hopes the Quad-Cities goes ape for the new shake flavor they concocted for Whitey’s Ice Cream.

Funny Yummy Monkey — a chocolate banana-flavored shake with vanilla wafers — was the winning recipe in Whitey’s 75th Anniversary Summer Shake Contest. The concoction was one of many suggestions that Anitra Whiting’s class entered in the contest, hosted by Whitey’s in partnership with Junior Achievement of the Heartland.

The first graders received a tasty reward Thursday when Whitey’s owners Jeff and Jon Tunberg showed up at their class to treat them to an ice cream party with their own Funny Yummy Monkey flavor.

“We had hundreds and hundreds of different selections and your shake ended up being the one we chose — you’re the best of all the JA classes,” Jon Tunberg told the cheering students.

More than 100 elementary classrooms across Scott and Rock Island counties submitted entries in the contest, which the Tunbergs hinted could become a regular event. Whitey’s staff tested more than 200 of the suggestions, before choosing the winner and two runner-up flavors.

All three shakes will be sold this summer at Whitey’s. In addition, the Quad-City ice cream maker will donate 75 cents to JA for every Funny Yummy Monkey shake sold.

“We’re all about entrepreneurship, and Whitey’s is a great example of this,’’ said JA president Barbara VenHorst.

During the ice cream party, VenHorst told the children that JA and Whitey’s worked together “to get everybody excited about ice cream, business and being your own boss.”

But the project wasn’t all fun and games as the teacher tried to sneak in some learning. “We came up with the recipes during writing time,” Whiting said, adding that the class came up with about 15 different ideas.

“We had a lot of teachers write to us that this was a great event for learning quantities and math,” Jeff Tunberg said. “And they had to have a lot of creativity — many students drew pictures of what their shake should look like, and sent in posters.”

But for the hungry 6- and 7-year-olds at Thomas Jefferson, all that really mattered was the Funny Yummy Monkey.

“It’s gooood,” Madeline McAnally said, before confiding “I don’t like the bananas crushed up.”

Sitting at his desk, Corbin Macke said he plans to visit Whitey’s this summer for more shakes. “It’s a funny name.”

“I like the chocolate and wafer cookies,” added Nick Gravitt.

Jeff Tunberg summed it up best. “Our father always said ‘You never see a sad person with ice cream.’ ”

Jennifer DeWitt can be contacted at (563) 383-2318 or jdewitt@qctimes.com.