You may have already heard of our next School Nutrition Hero—she’s no stranger to the spotlight. Suellen Smith is the cafeteria manager at Zephyrhills High School and has worked for the Pasco County School District for her entire 27-year career in school nutrition. Starting as an assistant, Suellen was promoted to assistant manager within two…
At Partners for Breakfast at the Classroom, we love school breakfast 365 days a year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get extra excited for National School Breakfast Week! Held annually, this year’s National School Breakfast Week theme is “Wake Up! to School Breakfast” and will be celebrated March 7-11. Are you ready? We have…
In Virginia, breakfast-in-the-classroom is having a moment. Thanks to support from Governor Terry McAuliffe and first lady Dorothy McAuliffe, schools are benefitting from increased visibility—and funding—for alternative breakfast programs across the state. We recently sat down to chat with Deborah Shiflett, past president of SNA’s Virginia chapter, and supervisor of the Food Services department for…
Don’t miss our previous blog post featuring our interview with Saddle Mountain USD #90 Food Service Director Tim Ely. Dr. Mark Joraanstad is a veteran educator and administrator. After spending eighteen years in a classroom, Mark made the transition to administration, and he is currently in his eighth year at Saddle Mountain Unified. With over…
When it comes to breakfast-in-the-classroom, one of the most important keys to program success and sustainability is principal buy-in. “Well, maybe if I could convince my principal … ,” is a common refrain we hear from school nutrition directors and managers interested in implementing BIC in their district. We recently sat down to chat with…
Each month, our staff reads hundreds of media reports on the subject of school nutrition. We curate our favorites in a monthly blog post we call, “In the News.” Highlighting positive stories about the great things going on in school cafeterias helps us in many ways: providing inspiration, connecting school nutrition professionals from across the…
Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone! It’s been quite a year for us here at Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom; thank you for being a part of our mission to increase access to and participation in school breakfast! We look forward to continuing our mission in 2016–check back with us in January for updates on…
Happy, healthy children are a priority for JoAnne Hammermaster, the Health & Wellness Chair of the Georgia PTA. Though new to her current position, having started in July 2015, JoAnne has a passion for feeding children; prior to moving to Georgia, she helped start the Virginia-based non-profit Real Food for Kids. “At Real Food for…
Although some school nutrition directors have a tough time selling the idea of breakfast in the classroom to principals, Tim Ely of Saddle Mountain Unified School District #90 in Arizona says it was the principal who pitched the idea to him. “I got lucky,” said Tim, by phone from Arizona. “The superintendent and principal were…
It’s hard to believe that we’re saying goodbye to 2015 already—time truly does fly! The Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom had a very busy, very productive year, bringing breakfast-in-the-classroom to students around the country. We are already looking forward to expanding our reach in 2016 (stay tuned to the blog for details!) but until…
