OPERATOR NOMINEES
CAST YOUR VOTE HERE!
LEBANON CITY SCHOOLS LEBANON, OHIO
LEE COUNTY SCHOOLS LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA
As a school nutrition professional, I’ve had the opportunity to directly support student success through education and engagement. For several years, my director and I have been invited to the 7th grade “For the Love of Food” class to teach students about our roles and the purpose of the National School Lunch Program. Through trivia, meal-building activities, and tastings of our scratch-made foods—including smoothies, granola, house made ranch and hydroponic produce grown in our high school kitchen—we show how balanced meals fuel learning. We also discuss nu- trition standards so students understand why certain items appear on their trays. The open dialogue at the end of each class allows us to hear what students enjoy and what they hope to see in the future. Many now stop by our kitchens to share feedback, and we’ve been invited to present in health and high school classes as well. Building on these connections, we are launching a Student Nutri- tion Advisory Council (SNAC) in each of our schools to give students a consistent voice in menu planning and program improvements. By creating these opportunities for student input and engagement, we help students feel valued while increasing their awareness of how healthy meals sup- port their well-being and academic achievement.
Lee County Schools Child Nutrition Program has transformed our school meals through a bold and highly successful scratch cooking initiative, redefin - ing what students can expect from cafeteria dining. We have worked hard this past year to increase the amount of scratch cooking in all of our kitchens. Our team has started preparing items such as homemade breads and rolls, oven fried chicken (we make our own breading), breakfast casseroles, etc. We are using stan- dardized recipes and hands-on culinary training that builds both skill and pride among staff. This shift has elevated meal quality, increased student participation, and reinforced our commitment to nourishing students with wholesome, from-scratch meals. Beyond our own cafeterias, Lee County has become a leader across Alabama by actively partnering with the State Department to train and inspire other districts to implement scratch cooking. Through live demonstra- tions, staff development, and shared best practices, we are helping scale this movement statewide—proving that scratch cooking in school nutrition is not only pos- sible, but powerful, sustainable, and transformative for student health and program success.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
CLICK HERE TO SEE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
Powered by FlippingBook