QUARTERLY UPDATES
2022 School Food Service Employee of the Year
2021 Turnip the Beet Winners
For the 25th year, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) is providing formal recognition for school food service employees who contribute significantly to the health and learning capabilities of students. This award was created to recognize the outstanding achievements of school food service employees who excel in the areas of customer service, attitude, professionalism, and teamwork. The IDOE 2022 School Food Service Employee of the Year is Bernadette Wallis. Bernadette is the Cafeteria Manager at Danville Community High School. Bernadette, or “Bernie”, as she is referred to by Danville staff members, has served meals to students in Danville since 1987! Food Service Director for Danville Community Schools Stephanie Stuemke, said, “Parents know her (Bernie) well because she served them when they were in school. Now she is serving their children. You would be hard pressed to find a person in Danville who doesn’t know Bernie and everything that she has contributed to the school nutrition program at Danville schools. Bernie maintains a good relationship with students, and she refers to them as her kids. In the six years that I have been food service director, I have never seen her sit, besides to do paperwork at the end of the day. She has one speed, which is fast. If there are any customer service issues with her students, she is sure to speak with that student to make things better. Everyone who has worked with Bernie has such positive things to say about her and such fond memories of all of the things she has done for the community over the years.” Bernadette also went above and beyond during the pandemic, ensuring that over 400 student meals with homemade chicken and noodles were served one day during meal pick up, and when egg patties were out due to supply chain issues, she took liquid eggs, cooked them, and used a round cookie cutter to cut out egg patties, so students could have eggs on their breakfast sandwiches. She will receive $300 from the Indiana Nutrition Council and a plaque from the Indiana Department of Education. Congratulations, Bernadette!
The United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced the winners of the Turnip the Beet award for summer 2021 in March. This national award recognizes sponsors within SFSP and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) that go above and beyond requirements to serve high-quality meals to children. Nationwide, a total of 84 sponsors qualified for either a gold, silver, or bronze award. Indiana winners were:
GOLD AWARD WINNER Kokomo School Corporation
SILVER AWARD WINNERS Bartholomew Consolidated Schools and Ray Bird Ministries
BRONZE AWARD WINNER DeKalb County Central United Schools
CONGRATULATIONS ON A JOB WELL DONE!
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