At the Gates Chili High School near Rochester, New York, the cafeteria and kitchen are getting an overdue overhaul. Deep fryers and the fat-soaked foods that come dripping out of them are no longer welcome in the kitchens and dining halls of a growing number of the nation's schools and universities. Likewise, heavily marketed sugary soft drinks and fat-laden candy treats are vanishing from school vending machines. From California to New York, education institutions are enlisting in a war against obesity. The battle plan calls for schools to teach students how to choose more nutritional foods, and for food-service workers to practice in the lunchroom what instructors are preaching in the classroom. That means menus that offer more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, entrees that are baked instead of fried, and juice and fat-free milk instead of the empty calories of soft drinks. It also means making cafeterias and dining balls appealing spaces where students can get the food they want quickly and still have time to hobnob with their friends.