School Lunch Heroes – TrayTalk.org

Honoring School Nutrition Employees Who Make a Daily Difference

Often the first friendly faces students see at breakfast and lunch, school nutrition employees play a vital role in creating a welcoming, supportive environment. They’re often the first to notice a student’s mood, offering a smile or kind word when it’s needed most. On School Lunch Hero Day, the School Nutrition Association proudly recognizes its regional Employee of the Year winners for their exceptional commitment to nourishing students and supporting their school meal programs.

School Nutrition Managers Recognized for Excellence and Dedication

School nutrition managers play a vital role on every nutrition team, working directly in school kitchens and cafeterias to ensure students receive healthy, high-quality meals each day. The School Nutrition Association’s Manager of the Year award honors the exceptional dedication, creativity, and compassion demonstrated by these leaders in school communities across the nation.

School Nutrition Directors Recognized for Outstanding Contributions

School Lunch Hero Day, observed annually on the first Friday in May, honors the dedicated women and men who work tirelessly to support the health and well-being of students in schools nationwide. The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is celebrating the accomplishments of regional honorees as well, including Director of the Year winners, exceptional leaders who exhibit an extraordinary commitment to their school meal programs. Directors are responsible for maintaining the quality of meal programs through student interaction, menu planning and a commitment to serving nutritious, tasty and well-balanced school meals. Through effective oversight of all aspects of food service operations, including budgeting, staffing, training, marketing and community outreach, school nutrition directors ensure the overall success of school meal programs.

School Lunch Heroes Receive National Honors

Coming up this Friday, May 2, School Lunch Hero Day celebrates the hard work and dedication of school nutrition professionals across the country. As a kick-off to these festivities, the School Nutrition Association announced national and regional winners for Employee of the Year, Manager of the Year and Director of the Year in a virtual award ceremony today.

Meet the outstanding individuals earning national honors here and learn more through the week about each of the regional winners. Be inspired by their exemplify dedication to their profession and deep commitment to the students they serve.

School Nutrition Employees Celebrated for Commitment & Caring

They are the front-line employees who greet students each morning for breakfast and lunch. They notice when students are having a good day or a bad one. School nutrition employees are essential members of the community. On School Lunch Hero Day, these regional winners of School Nutrition Association’s Employee of the Year award are being recognized for their remarkable commitment to both their school meal program and the students they serve.

School Nutrition Managers Recognized for Dedication & Compassion

School nutrition managers are an integral part of a nutrition team. Hands-on in the school kitchen and cafeteria, these individuals excel in providing high-quality, nutritious meals to students throughout the school year. The School Nutrition Association’s Manager of the Year award recognizes the dedication, ingenuity and compassion shown by cafeteria managers in regions across the country.

School Nutrition Directors Honored For Extraordinary Contributions

School Lunch Hero Day is celebrated on the first Friday in May to recognize women and men who dedicate their professional lives to the health and well-being of children in school districts across the country. The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is highlighting the achievements of those named Director of the Year from regions across the country, recognizing their extraordinary contributions to manage effective school meal programs providing healthy, appetizing meals to students.

Nationally Recognized 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 3. During an online award ceremony today, SNA President Chris Derico, SNS, recognized all regional award winners and unveiled the national Director, Manager and Employee of the Year for 2024. All of these individuals show exemplary dedication and outstanding commitment to the school nutrition profession and the students they serve:

Employee of the Year:

Mid-Atlantic: Shenna Morrison, Harford County Public Schools, MD (national winner)
Midwest: Melissa Willhite, Tracy Area Public Schools, MN
Mountain Plains: Sheena Boyd, Lee’s Summit R-7 Schools, MO
Northeast: Sonia DelGreco, Meriden Public Schools, CT
Southeast: Russell Barlow, Marshall County Schools, AL
Southwest: Hollie Valenzuela, Roswell Independent School District, NM
Western: Rosa Roque, Woodburn School District #103, OR

Manager of the Year:

Northeast: Vivian Crespo, Meriden Public Schools, CT (national winner)
Mid-Atlantic: Rommel Ongaco, Woodbridge School District, DE
Midwest: Sandra Hirdler, Osseo Area Schools ISD 279, MN
Mountain Plains: Kathleen Schneider, El Paso County School District 49, CO
Southeast: Maggie Oswalt, Scott County Schools, KY
Southwest: Luana Adams, Hobbs Municipal Schools, NM
Western: Valerie Moore, Tigard-Tualatin School District, OR

Director of the Year:

Western: Eric Span, Sweetwater Union High School District, CA (national winner)
Mid-Atlantic: Sandra Stokes, SNS, Petersburg City Public Schools, VA
Midwest: Stacey Bettis, Minerva, Brown & Tuscarawas Local School Districts, OH
Mountain Plains: Beth Wallace, SNS, Jefferson County Public Schools, CO
Northeast: Caitlin Lazarski, MS, RD, SNS, Pine Bush CSD, NY
Southeast: Dawn Lewis, M.Ed.L, Coffee County School System, GA
Southwest: Amy Woolsey, SNS, Ogden School District, UT

Read more about the efforts of the three national winners here and check back everyday this week for details on each of the regional winners in the Director, Manager and Employee categories.

Empowering Employees with Disabilities in Delaware Cafeterias

Despite many advantages to working in school cafeterias over restaurants, including school breaks and weekends off, many school nutrition departments still face staffing shortages. One district in Delaware discovered that finding a place for employees with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) has added more than just staff to fill positions – they created a more positive work environment in the process.

This school year, Caesar Rodney School District nutrition department set a goal to hire one team member identified as IDD within each of its 15 schools. The district says it is well on its way to reaching that goal!

School Nutrition Employees Honored for Outstanding Work

They are often the first people students see when they grab their school breakfast or offer a familiar smile to greet students for lunch. On School Lunch Hero Day, these regional winners of School Nutrition Association’s Employee of the Year award are being recognized for their job well done!