SNA Celebrates National Award Winners for School Lunch Hero Day (Fri. May 4)

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - In preparation for School Lunch Hero Day, the non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) has announced winners of national awards recognizing an exceptional school nutrition director, manager and employee for their efforts. This Friday, May 4, schools nationwide will celebrate all school nutrition heroes for their dedication to expanding access to healthy school meals and show appreciation with thanks, cards and recognition. The three SNA national award winners, along with their peers who have been recognized with regional awards, exemplify what it means to be a school lunch hero. SNA continues to work with Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author and illustrator of the popular LUNCH LADY graphic novel series, and Random House Children’s Books, to celebrate all of America’s school nutrition professionals through School Lunch Hero Day, on the first Friday in May each year. “Through the hard work and dedication of our school nutrition professionals, students are provided with healthy meals and compassion in the cafeteria,” said SNA President Lynn Harvey, EdD, RDN, SNS. “Every year, we are wowed by an amazing pool of nominees; SNA award winners prove that great work is being done in school districts big and small, in urban and rural settings across the country. School nutrition professionals are making a positive difference in the lives of students each school day.” Employees, managers and directors were nominated for awards at the state level, and those winners were considered for awards within seven regions across the country. Of those regional winners, the following were selected as SNA’s 2018 national award recipients based on their amazing efforts: Debra “Kay” Flynt from Goodyear Elementary in Glynn County School System, GA, has earned the Employee of the Year Award. Flynt has become known as the top bread maker in Glynn County schools, always there to help train each school kitchen to create “the perfect roll” for district students. Goodyear also has one of the highest consumption rates of fresh fruits and vegetables, something supervisors attribute to the colorful displays that Flynt creates for students. She is a true community builder, dedicating her time and efforts to improving the school meal experience for Goodyear students every day. Whether providing extra prizes on lucky tray day, donating life-sized stuffed animals or embroidering students’ names on items that they can win, she finds ways to go above and beyond her food service assistant duties. Each special occasion is made much more exciting with Flynt’s serving line decorations, including her life-sized Santa greeting students at Christmas-time or the tailgate tent she created for students to walk through during the school’s Sports Week. In addition to giving her time, Flynt has anonymously paid off students’ lunch accounts when she can. Jerrilyn Hernandez from Orofino Junior-Senior High School in Joint School District 171, ID, has earned the Manager of the Year Award. Hernandez has made it her mission to research various grants to support new ways of offering healthy options in the cafeteria. Through those grants, she has implemented several successful initiatives, including a new smoothie and yogurt parfait maker, an a la carte kiosk and a salad bar, which has helped increase student consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Hernandez also helped implemented a Breakfast in the Classroom program, increasing breakfast participation from 16 percent to 89 percent at the school. She is responsible for more than just her school building cafeteria, also overseeing food delivery to two smaller, more remote school sites in the district. Over the past several years, she has also taken on the responsibility of training all 20 district staff on maintaining production records, which has led to greatly improved accuracy. Constance Little, SNS, Nutrition Services Supervisor for Beavercreek City Schools, OH, has earned the Director of the Year Award. Celebrating 21 years as a member of SNA and eight years as a supervisor, Little brings a great deal of nutrition knowledge and operations savvy to the district, creating a more efficient nutrition services program. Little has implemented many cost-savings initiatives while ensuring her schools provide quality foods and great customer service. Little has also sought and secured over $38,000 in grants, including one for the creation of The Beavercreek Breakfast Club in the high school, a program which increased student participation by 15 percent. A few of her legacies include a great training program she developed called, “A Trip Down the Yellow Brick Road-Learning the Meal Pattern.” Using the Wizard of Oz concept, she helps her staff learn the protein, grain, fruit, vegetable and milk requirements for each grade level. She also created the “Bake A Great Team” bake-off, which started in August of 2017. She developed team rules for her staff, researched district trivia and coordinated the kitchen, equipment, utensils, baking supplies, judging criteria sheets and award ribbons for four teams. SNA is also recognizing the following regional award winners. National, regional and state level award winners will all be honored in July during the Red Carpet Awards Ceremony at the School Nutrition Association’s Annual National Conference in Las Vegas, NV. Employee of the Year: Mideast: Beverley Jenkins, Charles County Public Schools, Maryland Midwest: Valerie Kincade, Lee’s Summit School District R-7, Missouri Northeast: Roberta Waldrip, Tewksbury Public Schools, Massachusetts Northwest: Marlene Toothaker, Boise School District, Idaho Southeast: Debra “Kay” Flynt, Glynn County School System, Georgia (National winner) Southwest: Christiane Deatsch, Paola Unified School District, Kansas West: Patty Maloy, Nebo School District, Utah Manager of the Year: Mideast: Trish Peterson, Seaford School District, Delaware Midwest: Gretchen Schroeder, Anoka-Hennepin Independent School District, Minnesota Northeast: Ruth Conner, Buffalo Public Schools, New York Northwest: Jerrilyn Hernandez, Orofino Joint School District 171, Idaho (National winner) Southeast: Larry Jackson, Sumter County School District, Georgia Southwest: Elizabeth Glaser, Ponca City Public Schools, Oklahoma West: Angela Allen, Jordan School District, Utah Director of the Year: Mideast: Constance Little, SNS, Beavercreek City Schools, Ohio (National winner) Midwest: Lynelle Johnson, SNS, Williston Public School District, North Dakota Northeast: Louise Dean, SNS, Eastern Aroostook Regional School Unit 39, Maine Northwest: Carol Barker, Auburn School District, Washington Southeast: Todd A. Bedenbaugh, Lexington-Richland School District 5, South Carolina Southwest: Julie Telesca, SNS, Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, Texas West: Jana Cruz, Jordan School District, Utah

Feinstein Statement on Immigrants Seeking Asylum

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement in reaction to the arrival at the U.S. border of immigrants seeking asylum in the United States: “Children and families fleeing horrific violence who reach our borders have a right to claim asylum. The United States has an obligation under domestic and international law to fairly process these claims. These families have traveled thousands of miles and deserve to be treated humanely, even if their asylum claims are ultimately denied. “None of the families seeking asylum at the border should be intentionally separated from their children. Media reports indicate that since October as many as 700 children have been separated from their parents, including 100 under the age of 4. This is a needlessly cruel and unacceptable policy that likely infringes on parents’ constitutional rights to remain with their children. “Let me unequivocally state that I will oppose all efforts to weaken or repeal laws relating to the processing of children who arrive at our borders. The Trump administration has used the arrival of these immigrants to again call for the repeal of protections for children, derisively claiming they are ‘loopholes.’ “These laws aren’t loopholes. I know because I helped write them. They merely guarantee that children will be treated humanely—not detained indefinitely—and have the right to seek asylum or other immigration relief available under existing law. The Trump administration shouldn’t be using families and children fleeing violence as political bargaining chips to roll back critical protections for children.”

CSPI Welcomes Bill to Improve Food Labeling

Statement of CSPI President Dr. Peter G. Lurie CSPI welcomes today’s introduction of the Food Labeling Modernization Act by Senators Richard Blumenthal, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Ed Markey. The bill, a companion to legislation introduced last week by Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr., and Rosa DeLauro represents a much-needed overhaul of food labeling regulation. American families are searching for healthier products, but food labels are often full of confusing information. The FLMA provides an important roadmap for the FDA to improve food labels, offering clear, useful information that will make healthy choices easier for all Americans. The bill’s signature initiative establishes a single, standard, front-of-package nutrition labeling system to clearly distinguish between healthy and unhealthy foods. The FLMA will also target misleading marketing by requiring companies that make claims about “whole grain” or other desirable ingredients to list the percentages. It will also create clear and consistent standards for popular marketing terms like “natural,” and will provide important information to consumers, including caffeine content and sesame allergen labeling. In addition, the bill for the first time would require “structure/function” claims like “helps build strong bones” to be reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration, as is currently required for health claims like “prevents osteoporosis.” It also adds a requirement for listing phosphorus, a nutrient that increases serious health risks for people with chronic kidney disease. As Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb recognized recently, food labeling is a public health priority in the battle against cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses related to diet and nutrition.