ATIDAL WAVE of chatter washes over the cafeteria as students surge through the doors, their minds more on who they’ll sit by than what’s on their plate. They pass through quickly, barely looking up at times, but the hands and hearts that serve them breakfast and lunch see and care for them. They’re more likely known collectively as “the lunch ladies” than by their given names, and they are a team committed to a single goal: to offer your children meals that are as appealing as they are nutritious.
At Community Elementary and Middle School (Community), Tonya Beckman and her team work behind the scenes to serve students. The constant bustle of changing classes and the banging of returned trays may seem like the most chaotic part of the day to some. Many days, it’s far from it. Alarms for a fire or lockdown drill may sound, bringing everything to a grinding halt. Beckman might find the cafeteria understaffed and need extra help getting everything ready. And sometimes, an unexpected crisis prompts a last-minute menu substitution. New challenges arise every day.
“If a school is struggling, and I call Janet Clarkson, the district nutrition supervisor, she sends an SOS out to all the schools, and everybody rallies around each other across the entire county. The generous hospitality of the Bedford County Board of Education and Child Nutrition never ceases to amaze me,” said Beckman.
The quick pace is not for the faint-hearted. Lunch service begins at 11:00 a.m., and the last group comes in at 12:15 p.m. Within an hour and a half, the Community nutrition workers serve 825 to 850 students and staff. They are the only people who see every student each day of the school year.
Balancing tightropes between state mandates and student preferences can be challenging for Beckman to navigate. Every meal must juggle calorie counts, sodium limits, mandated vegetable servings, and more — all while satisfying hungry students’ tastes.
Beckman said, “We have to hurdle through and get creative trying to provide food that we know our kiddos still want to eat.”
If your child craves something different, students can grab a sack to-go. Delicious sandwiches, crunchy veggies, sweet applesauce, and a cheesy treat await, offering a satisfying escape from the day’s menu. It’s not your average childhood school lunch; there’s something for every taste.
If you think planning your weekly meals is overwhelming, consider this: out of 15 schools in Bedford County, 13 cafeterias staffed by 90 employees served 1,956,596 meals last year and are on track to serve 2,236,000 meals this school year.
There’s another sound nestled among the students’ voices and clinking silverware, and it’s music to Beckman’s ears.
“It’s the sound of everybody working cohesively together. I’ve always told my staff, ‘I don’t ever want this to be a place you regret getting up and coming into in the morning. I know it’s a job, but it has so many rewarding benefits, and I don’t ever want you to feel like your work is not appreciated when you’re here.’ They all know at the end of the day what their responsibilities are, but I want them to have a good time while they’re at work.”
Janet Clarkson said, “Tonya is one of many amazing employees in Bedford County School Nutrition. She’s an outstanding cafeteria manager and has the students’ needs first and foremost in mind. She strives to provide healthy and delicious meals daily, goes above and beyond, and considers her staff a ‘work family.’ We are fortunate to have Tonya as part of our team.”
Beckman is in her 11th year of cafeteria management, which is long enough to see her earliest students from the cafeteria return for their senior walk.
She said, “You want to cry just like they’re your kids. Those are the kids that you watched grow up and now they’re graduating and becoming adults.”
The students are at the heart of everything the nutrition staff does.
“We get so incredibly close to a lot of the students here,” said Beckman. “[When the school year ends], I know all of us are worn out and ready for that break. But, by the time summer’s over, I’m really starting to miss them and want to get back to see how their summer went. We get attached to the students overall.”
Feeding our children at school is a team effort from the central office to the cafeteria kitchen.
“We definitely couldn’t do it without the support from Janet Clarkson and Marian Alexander at the central office. They are wonderful and are always there to support us in whatever we need. I appreciate both of them and know all the other managers do as well. We all have the kids’ best interests at heart, and we really do care for them and sincerely love them. I want to make sure they’re taken care of at the end of the day and that they go home with full stomachs,” enthused Beckman.
No student goes hungry on this lunch lady’s watch. GN
