In the course of writing the article about salad bars in schools, I had a very pleasant interaction with Cynthia Robertson, who has been making and serving lunches at Nevada Union High School for over sixteen years. She took the time to talk to me, explain her strategy behind how she arranges the beautiful fresh vegetables in NU’s new salad bar, and even introduce me to one of her favorite students, all during the extremely busy pre-lunch rush prep time. It was so clear to me how much pride she takes in her work, and how much she cares about “her” students.
The image of a passionate, caring, warm human being serving school lunches is not always the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “lunch lady”. The people who cook and serve school meals are often unappreciated or ignored. At worst, they are criticized or caricatured as hair-net wearing grouches. We at Sierra Harvest would like to change that, and so would children’s book author Jarrett Krosoczka, who has written a series of graphic novels called “Lunch Lady”, in which undercover school heroes serve lunch…and justice! His latest project, School Lunch Hero Day, asks communities to take just one day to tell the people who make our kids’ lunches how much we appreciate them.
This 5-minute TED talk features Jarrett Krosoczka sharing the origins of the Lunch Lady graphic novel series, and his own personal experience with School Lunch Hero Day. Who is your school lunch hero? Let us know why they are so great by posting on our Facebook page!