BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — With more than 2.2 million meals served last year, Broken Arrow Public Schools is showing some love for its Food Service workers this week.
Administrators said child nutrition professionals are essential in the school system, and the hard work does not go unnoticed. At Lynn Wood Elementary, this is evident.
When the food service window opens, students are greeted with a friendly face. Christian Albertson is the cafeteria manager and has been with the school for 14 years.
She serves the students both breakfast and lunch with a special side students won’t forget. Her personality.
“They remember me,” Albertson said. “The crazy lunch lady!”
They also remember the food.
"I like the breakfast burrito,” Sam Miller, a first grader at Lynn Wood Elementary said. "It has like meat and eggs in it."
Apparently, it's a big hit.
"They're like tomatoes, eggs and meat,” Violet Taylor, a fourth grader at the school said. “There's like this sauce you can put on there."
Albertson said the students love the breakfast burritos, but they are a labor of love. She, along with her hardworking staff, prepare every ingredient to make them special, all while following the health guidelines set by the state.
The school’s kitchen isn't just serving nutritious meals to hundreds of students, but also cooking up a recipe of inclusion.
“I just love them,” Albertson said of her students. “I connect with the little peoples. They mess with me; I mess with them. We just have fun."
The job is fast-paced, consisting of feeding 125 hungry tummies at breakfast, and nearly 300 at lunch. Albertson said the reward is icing on the cake.
“I see them in PreK and the next thing I know, they're walking out the door as a 5th grader,” she said. “It’s like awe, what happened?”
The cafeteria staff is made up of just three women doing everything from preparing the meals, making food orders, stocking inventory, to all the cleanup.
Their efforts give the kids the energy they need according to Taylor.
“It helps you learn,” Taylor said. “Because if you go without food then you'll be like lazy and stuff."
Staff are not only feeding minds but filling a void.
“A lot of them, they don't have it at home, but at least they are getting nutrition here and they are getting a full little belly,” Albertson said.
Administrators said 46 percent of students in Broken Arrow Public Schools qualify for free and reduced meals, giving those without the means for food at home a place to count on.
This is why on this Food Service Workers Appreciation Week BAPS wants to recognize people like Albertson.
The district currently has 26 child nutrition staff positions open.
if you are interested in joining the team, visit https://www.applitrack.com/baschools/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Child+Nutrition
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