每年五月的第一个星期五，我们都会在学校午餐英雄日表彰营养服务部门的员工。 In 里奇菲尔德公立学校, our 营养服务 team does far more than prepare meals—they create a welcoming environment, support student learning, and help build a strong sense of community.

今年，我们借此机会询问了一些优秀的员工，他们最喜欢自己工作的哪些方面。 Here’s what they had to say:

谢里丹山厨房团队

在谢里丹山，厨房工作人员每天都为他们的工作带来创造力和活力。 “It’s fun to make the food look pretty and appetizing so the kids want to take the food and enjoy their lunch,” they shared. 他们喜欢里奇菲尔德小镇的感觉，以及他们在拥有3到10年经验的团队之间建立的牢固纽带。 “It’s a physical job—you are moving the whole time you are here—but it’s worth it for the smiles we see every day,” they added.

Paula华盛顿

Paula’s enthusiasm for her role shines through in everything she does. “I LOVE being a lunch lady! 厨房里快节奏的工作真的让我保持警觉！” she said. For Paula, the kids are always the highlight: “There’s always laughter, sometimes tears, but every day there is joy.” After years of working across the district, she’s proud to say, “Lunch ladies and lunch dudes ROCK!!!”

李麦特森

在里奇菲尔德中学，李·马特森在她的工作和同事中都找到了快乐。 “I love working with kids,” Li said. “We have a lovely group dynamic—we do a lot of laughing together.” As the production cook for the past eight years, she keeps things moving in a fast-paced kitchen environment that’s both busy and rewarding.

乔迪•尼克尔

同样在里奇菲尔德中学，乔迪·尼克尔（乔迪•尼克尔）每天都把家乡的自豪感带到她的工作中。 “I grew up in Richfield and graduated from RPS,” she shared. “I like our small community and seeing tons of other staff that I grew up with still working here.” Jodi loves the fast pace of her job, noting, “It’s pretty much nonstop all day, but we are all good friends and have a ton of fun.”

Cassi O'Meara

Cassi’s love for 里奇菲尔德公立学校 runs deep—so deep, in fact, that after leaving for a short time, she came back! “I love working for our department. We have such a fun, diverse, and great group of staff members across the district that make my job so enjoyable,” she said. One of her favorite memories is seeing students she served years ago still remember her: “That will never get old!”

迈克尔·曼宁

作为食品服务总监，迈克尔·曼宁全心全意地监督整个营养服务部门的运作。 “Food plays such a huge role in helping kids feel safe, included, and ready to learn,” he said. He also values the mission-driven culture at RPS: “Everyone—from teachers to custodians to kitchen staff—is here because they care about kids.” 他在幕后的工作确保每天提供数千顿饭，重点是公平、文化包容和学生福利。

在学校午餐英雄日和每一天，我们都感谢我们不可思议的营养服务团队。 他们孜孜不倦地滋养我们的学生，创造归属感，一次一顿饭。 Thank you for everything you do—you truly are our heroes!