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What’s on the menu in the new school year?

The start of the new school year is quickly approaching. School nutrition professionals from across the country recently attended the nation’s largest school food show to bring new ideas to student menus. Customizable meals is a trend many students will see when they head back to the cafeteria.

Taking Farm-to-School Food on the Road

To get farm-to-school and locally sourced foods to more students, Buffalo Public Schools (NY) invested in a food truck, which went on the road in October of 2020.

“We only serve New York-made beef, hotdogs and hamburgers on the food truck. Any entree served comes from local farms, such as locally grown eggs, New York grown potatoes and hydroponic lettuce,” said Bridget O’Brien Wood, Food Service Director for Buffalo Public Schools. The menu is dependent on the current growing season.

Lettuce for CA district grown in freight farms

An innovative freight container system modified into a vertical hydroponic garden produces just over a thousand heads of lettuce each week, served fresh for Ann Sobrato High School students to enjoy at lunch. The freight farm is just 320 square feet and sits on a concrete slab outside the California school, in Morgan Hill Unified School District.

Cafeteria Employees Recognized as School Lunch Heroes

They are the frontline employees greeting students across the country everyday, providing a friendly face and a nourishing meal. They get to know the children by name and help create memorable meals and moments in the cafeteria.

The national, non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) received hundreds of nominations of stellar cafeteria professionals and awarded six Regional Employees of the Year. The award was created to recognize outstanding school nutrition employees who exhibit a remarkable commitment to both their school meal program and the students they serve. Meet the 2022 winners, who will be celebrated together with colleagues across the country as part of School Lunch Hero Day on May 6, 2022:

Cafeteria & Kitchen Managers’ Award Winning Efforts

Nutrition managers are often the glue keeping school meal programs running smoothly. They have risen to the challenges over the past two years, feeding children through school closures or remote learning, then managing supply chain disruptions and challenges to keep kitchens and cafeterias staffed.

The national, non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) has awarded 2022 Regional Managers of the Year for their inspiring efforts. The award is considered the highest honor a school nutrition manager can earn. This year’s recipients will be recognized together with their colleagues across the country on School Lunch Hero Day, May 6, 2022:

School Nutrition Program Directors Honored for Dedication

Constantly thinking about the needs of students in their communities, playing a pivotal role in reaching more students with school meals, collaborating and communicating effectively – these are a few of the ways those honored as regional Directors of the Year stand out in their school communities.

In conjunction with School Lunch Hero Day, School Nutrition Association is highlighting the achievements of those named Director of the Year from regions across the country.

National Award Winners Celebrated as School Lunch Heroes

The non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) is celebrating the efforts of school nutrition professionals all week leading up to School Lunch Hero Day on May 6. During an online award ceremony on May 2, SNA President Beth Wallace, MBA, SNS, announced national Director, Manager and Employee of the Year award winners, recognized for their dedication and outstanding commitment. Wallace says even faced with a second challenging school year because of the pandemic, these professionals prioritize the nutritional needs of the children in their schools first.

Robert Rolfe, School Nutrition Director for Henderson County Public Schools, NC, was named the National Director of the Year. Sharon Owensby, SNS, Catering Manager at Lee’s Summit High School in Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, MO, was named the National Manager of the Year. Stephanie Sheley, a cook at Holmen High School in School District of Holmen, WI, was named the National Employee of the Year

Thinking Outside the Box to Fill Staffing Shortages

The Kershaw County School District (SC) school nutrition department was fully staffed before the pandemic. Down a third of its staff two years later, they knew they had to try something different to ensure enough resources to feed children in the district.

Culinary Club adds Gardening to Keep Students Engaged

Cecilia Araiza has been working in school nutrition for more than two decades, innovating new ways to keep students engaged outside the cafeteria with nutrition education opportunities. When the resurgence of the pandemic halted her Madison Park Middle School (AZ) Culinary Club from being able to use the kitchen for its hands-on learning experiences, Araiza had the idea to take things outside with a gardening component for the weekly after-school program.

Composting in Virginia School Cafeterias

Students in six Prince William County Public Schools (VA) changed the way they threw out cafeteria trash as part of a pilot composting program started this school year. Instead of one trash can, there are multiple barrels in classrooms and cafeterias for food scraps, milk cartons, recyclable plastics and non-recyclables.

Scraps of food are collected and recycled after lunch every day with a goal to reduce Prince William County’s environmental impact.