Serving up sweet smiles
At West during C lunch, students put in their ID or pay for lunch, meanwhile the cafeteria staff help at the registers “Whenever you get food, they are always mostly smiling they’re mostly happy and we rarely ever see them sad,” junior Makayla Brown said.
February 27, 2020
The only break we get in high school on a daily basis is lunch. Many students enjoy it because they get to spend time with friends and eat. What not everyone takes into consideration is the cafeteria staff.
Being a member of the cafeteria staff means a lot of work. Staff have to come in everyday and prepare food for the whole school, that’s over 1,700 stomachs to fill. They also have to maintain cleanliness from the trays, to the kitchen, and follow food safety precautions in the process.
“In this job we learned how to be patient because many students come through the lines everyday,” cafeteria staff member Kathleen Foster said.
The cafeteria staff love their jobs and some cafeteria workers even become close with the students. The staff come ready everyday to receive students with smiles. They also have to learn how to handle student’s moods.
“They’re really nice. They have a lot of energy and enthusiasm to get through the day,” junior Makayla Brown said.
The cafeteria staff have many duties. They start work alongside the students; not only do the cafeteria staff have to feed the students, but also greet them with smiles. All students come hungry and relying on the only break they get. The cafeteria staff try their best to cheer the students up and help them feel soothed.
“I love my job because it gives me a chance to be a different thinker because even just a smile in your face can change somebody’s day, and so some kids I think enjoy relying on a smile from a stranger, ” cafeteria staff member Kimber Knutsen said.
Not only does the staff need to be patient, but they also want the students to have good manners and treat each other well.
“Some words to the students are to be kind to others because we see that they’re cruel to one another,” Foster said.
Every student is unique and it’s all up to the staff to put student’s in a good perspective during lunch , and make interaction with students.
“Not everyone comes from the same background, so you have to learn to work with different types of people and remembering the little things,“ Knutsen said.
Cafeteria staff often are the first in noticing if a student is not feeling well, not eating, or being bullied. A positive word from them can change a student’s day.
“It’s nice to know that somebody else might be happy and try to make my day better. I’m very grateful for that,” Brown said.
