Despite eating lunch five days a week, many don’t realize the hard work and care from the lunch staff that goes into making meals and minimizing chaos during breakfast and lunch at the high school.
With the start of the school year, things have been crazy for the lunchladies.
“It’s just really busy right now because the kids don’t know their ID numbers or don’t have their finger scanned. That’s slowing us up, but we’re doing the best we can. [It hasn’t] been too bad, but it gets better,” lunchlady Karen Jesse said. She has worked for the high school for 19 years.
According to Jesse, the hood fan over the ovens, which suck up the hot air, was broken for the first two weeks of school. It is now fixed, but there is no air conditioning at the moment.
“Supposedly, next year we’re supposed to get [air conditioning],” Jesse said. “Being that this is a new school, you’d think they would put air in, but it costs money. It would be a lot to heat a kitchen.”
With all of the hardships, cooperation is key for success in the lunchroom.
“It’s very fast-paced. We have to work as a team, you know? If [a coworker] yells ‘I need this’ or ‘I need that’, we have to help each other out to make things flow,” Jesse said.
Regan Johnson, who has worked at the high school cafeteria for two years, agreed.
“It works easier when everyone is on the same page,” she said. “Like [Jesse] was saying, when you need something, you just blurt it out, and someone hears it. I’ve learned, and it’s gotten easier.”
Despite all of the challenging aspects of working in the kitchen, the students make everything worth it for the staff.
“I really appreciate the manners. The ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, and just the greeting, you know?” Johnson said. “I’ll get a ‘Hey, Mrs. Johnson!’ from across the kitchen. I hear people calling out to Mrs. Jesse. It’s just nice to see that the kids do appreciate you making lunch.”
Jesse especially advocates for being involved in students’ lives. She makes it a point to ask students about their days, particularly if they are struggling.
“Make them feel important. You can change a kid’s life just by kind words,” Jesse said.
Both Jesse and Johnson try to learn every student’s name before they scan their fingers at the end of the lunch line.
“I want to say I’ve been doing that, trying to learn who [students] are and greeting them, knowing them by their name. It changes the way they act,” Johnson said.
The lunch staff wants students to know that they really care about them.
“I said [I treat them like my own kids] recently to my husband,” Johnson said. “It’s like I have 1200 kids here. I’ve always felt that way. These are my kids.”
Jesse agreed.
“My husband says they can be your kids, but you’re not paying for their college,” she said.
She has worked at the high school for six months
and has a daughter that attends the high school.
The lunch staff also noted that breakfast and lunch are free now. The free meal program started last school year due to the pandemic and has continued through this year for all students. There is no set date to end the program as of now.
“I have noticed that a couple kids ask ‘Is this really free? Do I have to pay anything?’, and they’ll say ‘Oh, okay, good’. I think some of them are realizing, you know,” Johnson said. “I think they’re appreciating the fact that the free meals are being offered and utilizing it.”
Jesse added that students should take advantage of the free lunches, especially student-athletes.
“I make a point to say to the football coach or swim coach or all these different sports and say that there’s no reason your player hasn’t had breakfast or lunch, because it’s free,” Jesse said.
The lunch staff cares about each individual student and wants everyone to know it.
“I love the kids, I love to bring happiness to them and say kind words,” Jesse said.
