cafeteria

Medway Middle School Student Claire O’Driscoll Recognized for Environmental Advocacy Efforts

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Medway Public Schools
Armand Pires, Superintendent
45 Holliston St.
Medway, MA 02053

 

For Immediate Release

Friday, Oct. 4, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Medway Middle School Student Claire O’Driscoll Recognized for Environmental Advocacy Efforts

MEDWAY — Superintendent Armand Pires is pleased to announce that seventh grade student Claire O’Driscoll was recognized by the Medway School Committee on Thursday, Oct. 3, for her advocacy efforts to improve sustainability practices at Medway’s schools.

The Medway School Committee recognized O’Driscoll for her work as the driving force behind the district-wide changes made to the types of serving materials used in school cafeterias. Due to her advocacy, Medway has begun to use recyclable items in their cafeterias.

O’Driscoll spent several lunch periods at school counting how many straws and other plastic items were being used and then thrown away. Because of her passion for the environment, she was bothered by the amount of waste she observed.

After visiting a restaurant in Boston that used all recyclable serving materials, including environmentally friendly spoons, straws and bowls, O’Driscoll was inspired to make Medway’s food service program greener.

With the help of her mom, Julie, O’Driscoll contacted Medway Public School’s Director of Wellness Dr. Ryan Sherman regarding the food service materials Medway used in the cafeterias. O’Driscoll and Dr. Sherman then worked with Director of Dining Services Shawn Fallon to introduce cardboard serving trays and paper straws into the school cafeterias.

“Claire sets a great example of how students can make a difference,” Dr. Sherman said. “She was passionate about sustainability and wanted to do her part to make a difference in our school community.”

“One of Medway’s core values is equity and empowerment for all,” Superintendent Pires said. “As a district, we want to continue to foster these values so we were happy to support Claire in her efforts to provide more eco-friendly products.”

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Mascoma Valley Regional School District Announces Completion of Administrative Review of Cafeteria Employee Situation

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Mascoma Valley School District 

Amanda Isabelle, Superintendent

547 US Route 4
Enfield, NH 03748

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019

Media Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003

Email: [email protected]

Mascoma Valley Regional School District Announces Completion of Administrative Review of Cafeteria Employee Situation

ENFIELD, N.H. — Superintendent Amanda Isabelle announces that an independent administrative review of the facts and circumstances surrounding the termination of a Cafe Services employee this spring has come to a close.

The report is being released in its entirety with only legally-mandated redactions. The report can be downloaded here.

The administrative review and report, chiefly produced by veteran law enforcement leader and criminology professor Dr. John G. Dristilaris, found that Fresh Picks Café/Café Services, the district’s food vendor, was justified in its firing of former cafeteria worker Bonnie Kimball.

The report further found evidence that multiple students may have been given free a la carte items, including sports drinks and french fries, over a period of several months, resulting in lost cafeteria revenue.

“This review was comprehensive, and provides the facts and answers the school community has called for and deserves regarding this chapter in the history of our school district,” Superintendent Isabelle said. “I am confident moving forward that Mascoma will be more proactive in sharing the many, many positive programs we have in place to support our students and community, and in strengthening communication among all stakeholders in our schools.”

The district commissioned the independent administrative review this spring in an effort  to better understand the facts and events surrounding Kimball’s termination, which resulted in local, statewide, national and international media attention drawn toward the district.

Additionally, a false narrative circulated — and became a national and international headline — that Mascoma Valley Regional School District had terminated Kimball after she allegedly gave a free lunch to a hungry child in need. Kimball’s employment was entirely under the purview of Cafe Services, not the district, and it is a school policy that all children are given lunches, regardless of their financial means to pay for that meal. The district sought to learn what, if anything, could have been done to prevent this situation from escalating the way it did in recent months.

After interviewing multiple individuals, reviewing the policies of the district and Cafe Services, analyzing documents and examining student meal account data, the report concludes that Cafe Services acted appropriately. The report also states that Cafe Services had just cause to terminate Kimball’s employment after she violated the company’s policies and procedures by giving away free food and drinks to multiple students over several months.

The review made a number of recommendations aimed at streamlining communication and the food service process and preventing the media spectacle that grew from this incident to repeat itself in the future. Those recommendations include:

  • Mascoma Valley should more clearly state, boldly, in its published policies and handbooks, that all students, regardless of their ability to pay, will receive lunch daily
  • Rewording sections of the food policy, including changing “Parents are prohibited from running a negative balance” to “The district will work proactively with parents to maintain a positive balance on their students’ meal account.”
  • Monthly meetings between the district and its food service vendor to discuss any issues that may have arisen
  • Summertime meeting between district and its food service vendor to go over expectations for the upcoming year and discuss any suggested ways of improvement
  • Place a copy of the district’s meal charging policy as an exhibit in all future food service contracts
  • The district should require its food service vendor to clearly state in its employee handbook the expectations regarding feeding all students a school meal (except a la carte items) regardless of student account balances, along with a sign off acknowledgement from employees of the vendor
  • More closely follow New Hampshire School Boards Association (NHSBA) recommendations regarding meal charging
  • The district should conduct a student meal account audit for 2018-19 to determine possible loss revenue

“This incident greatly impacted our community, and it is a relief to have completed this review and share this report with all of the stakeholders who were impacted,” Superintendent Isabelle said. “The overall well-being and health of our students is of the greatest importance at Mascoma Valley Regional School District, and we will continue working to improve our policies and communication to reflect that dedication to our community moving forward.”

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Education Commissioner Visits Exeter High School to Profile Lunch Program Through Video Series

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New Hampshire SAU 16
Dr. David Ryan, Superintendent
30 Linden Street
Exeter, NH 03833

For Immediate Release

Friday, April 5, 2019

Media Contact: Jessica Sacco
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Education Commissioner Visits Exeter High School to Profile Lunch Program Through Video Series

“School Days, Lunch Trays & Gourmets” Modeled after Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”

EXETER — Students and cafeteria staff at Exeter High School are starring alongside Frank Edelblut, the commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education, in the first installment of “School Days, Lunch Trays & Gourmets.”

Modeled after Guy Fieri and the Food Network program, “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” Commissioner Edelblut launched a video series to profile some of the state’s school cafeterias — giving viewers an inside look at all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make school lunch happen.

In each video, beginning with Exeter High School, Commissioner Edelblut discusses and prepares food with staff, serving students and then later joining them for a quick bite.

“When the Commissioner reached out to us for this project, we were thrilled to be included and excited that Exeter High School was the first to be featured in this series,” Superintendent David Ryan said. “This was a great opportunity for us to showcase the talented culinary team that meets our students’ dietary needs on a daily basis using fresh, local and even homegrown ingredients to serve a wide range of excellent meal choices.”

Commissioner Edelblut visited Exeter High School on March 21, donning a pink “Live Free and Healthy” SAU 16 meal program shirt and blue apron while he got to work. Meal preparation began at 7 a.m., in order to be ready for the first lunch period at 11:10 a.m.

Throughout the video, Exeter High School cafeteria staff — including Unit Manager Louise Sucu, Chef Brad Rice, Chef Michele Simiele, Hope McDonald, Annette Flanders and Jana Toomey — guided Commissioner Edelblut through the meal prep process. This included letting him take the lead on making a pan of butternut squash vegan lasagna and pulling homemade pizzas out of the oven before slicing them for individual serving sizes.

At the sound of the lunch bell, Commissioner Edelblut transitioned to the service line, where he helped hand out chicken sandwiches and pizza. To complete the cafeteria experience, the Commissioner learned the art behind washing trays, and then stopped by one of the lunch tables to chat with students.

Before saying goodbye to the Exeter High School cafeteria crew, Commissioner Edelblut grabbed a tray and a piece of the lasagna he helped make, which he enjoyed with Chef Rice.

“This was a really fun project to work on and it was my honor to work alongside such committed individuals who work hard in our schools to brighten students’ days,” Commissioner Edelblut said. “My hope is that this video – and others that may follow – will help portray the broad level of support that communities are providing for their students.”

In the second video of the series, which is now in production, Commissioner Edelblut visited Marlborough School.

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Cooperative Middle School Building Project Spotlight On: Cafeteria

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New Hampshire SAU 16
Dr. David Ryan, Superintendent
30 Linden Street
Exeter, NH 03833

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Cooperative Middle School Building Project Spotlight On: Cafeteria

EXETER — In an effort to provide residents with all relevant information surrounding the Cooperative Middle School building project, Superintendent David Ryan is sharing the details of each component through the district’s spotlight series.

Voters will be asked to consider the $17.8 million project to improve services for students, faculty and staff on March 12. All six towns that make up CMS — Brentwood, East Kingston, Exeter, Kensington, Newfields and Stratham collectively must pass the ballot item with at least 60 percent voting in favor for the initiative to move forward.

Each week, SAU 16 will delve into a topic surrounding the proposed expansion and renovation project at CMS. In its second week, SAU 16 seeks to educate its community members about the need for a larger cafeteria.

“Providing meals for students is crucial to our work in fostering the growth and development of all students,” Superintendent Ryan said. “The redesign and expansion of the dining space, while permitting us to feed more students at once, will help us maximize instructional opportunities in the rest of the building.”

CMS’ entire school schedule is planned around lunches. This leaves little program flexibility, which is imperative for implementing a comprehensive curriculum centered around a competency-based education (CBE) model.

The size and flow of the current cafeteria requires there be six lunches spanning three class periods. CMS’ lunches start at 10 a.m. and run consecutively, concluding at 12:30 p.m. This means that a large portion of CMS students are having their lunch at what is normally considered breakfast time. 

During each lunch period, two teams of students (200-240 students) are divided into two separate sections of the cafeteria. Each section needs appropriate adult supervision, creating a tremendous draw on CMS’ human resources. When faculty and staff are supervising lunch, they are not available to work with students who need extra assistance and/or time to demonstrate they have reached competency in a certain academic area — a hallmark of a strong CBE model.

The goal of the building renovation project is to reduce the number of lunch periods by half by increasing the number of students in each section. This would alleviate scheduling, programming and staffing restrictions by allowing the cafeteria space to be utilized more throughout the day for music, leadership studies, alternative physical education and other large group activities.

Proposed changes to the layout include removing the kitchen area from the center of the room and building a new approximately 3,750 square foot kitchen adjacent to the cafeteria.

The additional space would then accommodate three 30-35 minute lunch periods that would occur between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. With this scheduling, each grade would have their own lunch, giving students the opportunity to socialize with peers they may not otherwise see during the school day.  Staff would also have a direct line of sight of the entire space, which would decrease the amount of people needed to supervise and therefore free up more teachers to assist students in other areas of the building.

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