43
Brooks brings home the bronze
AUSTINTOWN
Austintown School District is one of 3,762 schools to receive a bronze-level Healthier U.S. Schools award.
When Food Service Director Tascin Brooks presented the banner to Fitch High School administrators, the only question anyone had to ask was, “What’s next?”
Brooks has worked to reinvent the traditional school lunch to make the experience more customer-service based. Food-service employees try new recipes, further culinary education and collaborate with students – their consumers – to make tasty-yet-healthful experience.
Fitch High School Principal Chris Berni said he’s proud Austintown’s food-service department takes such an interest in the students’ overall health – physically and mentally.
“What they do is 100 percent educational,” he said. “In some cases, they are helping kids rethink what they put in their bodies. They would not even consider thinking about [that] if they weren’t coming to this school.”
Brooks said her goal is to feed the students’ brains and bodies – and ensure they take these healthful-eatng habits home with them.
“The more healthy they eat, the better they think instead of being all clogged up with fats when they don’t think right,” said Robin Guzzo, food-service employee.
Food-service employee Debbie Fellows acknowledged that though sometimes it takes time to incorporate new healthful regulations, her team always ends with success.
“Part of the success of the program is that the staff cares so much,” Brooks said. “It’s very instrumental in making this work.”
Brooks said in the near future she’ll unveil a continental breakfast option – with both cold-bar and hot-bar options for $1.50.
In addition, she wants to put together a student focus group to try different foods and give honest feedback about the current menu.
Hayden Bennett, 11th-grade student and prime candidate for this group, said he felt comfortable making suggestions for the food-service employees to figure out and try.
“It’ll just be beneficial for everyone,” Hayden said.