Waltrip HS cafeteria staff honored with School Lunch Hero Day celebration

The Waltrip High School Rams and their administrative staff pulled out all the stops on Friday, May 5, in celebration of the seven women who keep their student body fed and thriving: their School Lunch Heroes. School Lunch Hero Day, observed nationally on the first Friday in May, is a day to honor and give thanks to school nutrition professionals.

Waltrip began their celebration with a performance by the cheerleaders, followed by a welcome from Assistant Principal Dr. Warren Anderson and words of acknowledgement from Nutrition Services Senior Area Manager Keith Lewis. To close out the event, a proclamation from Mayor Sylvester Turner declaring May 5 School Lunch Hero Day was presented to Principal Rhonda Honore’.

“Our School Lunch Heroes are the best because of their dedication, their support, and their beautiful and wonderful smiles they have on their faces every single day,” said Lewis.

In an average school year, cafeteria staff prepare and distribute more than 34 million meals to hungry students throughout HISD. In thanks for the invaluable work that they do, the cheerleaders recited fun facts about each of the cafeteria staff members, including their favorite food, favorite thing about themselves, and favorite vacation destination. Football players then escorted the cafeteria staff members to accept their certificates of appreciation.

Students went so far as to design mock posters featuring their cafeteria staff transformed into superheroes, much to the School Lunch Heroes’ delight.

Because School Lunch Hero Day coincided with Cinco de Mayo this year, the celebration was concluded with a ballet folklórico performance by Waltrip’s Rambling Roses dance troupe.

“We love our students,” said Mary Davenport, Waltrip Food Services Attendant Team Lead. “They’ve actually become our family.”

For more ideas for celebrating Nutrition Staff and the important work that they do, visit the official School Lunch Hero Day website. To learn more about HISD’s Nutrition Services Department, visit their website or follow them on Twitter at @HISDNutrition.