Lavaca ‘Lunch Lady’ honored at White House reception

Child Nutrition Director Glynieta Price was recently honored along with hundreds of other school cafeteria workers across the country at a White House reception.

Price attended at the invitation of First Lady Michelle Obama who spearheaded the “Let’s Move” Initiative that promotes healthy living among children.

Lavaca Elementary was the first school in the state of Arkansas to receive the Bronze Award last year as part of the USDA’S HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC) that was pushed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The challenge is a key element of the First Lady’s initiative.

Lavaca Elementary is one of 958 schools to receive the honor out of the 93,000 schools nationwide. The elementary has since been awarded the Silver Award for Price and her team’s efforts to improve nutrition in the district’s two cafeterias. Price says she now has her sights set on going for the Gold. Although the elementary was the only Lavaca school submitted for the award, the same changes have also been made at the middle school/high school cafeteria.

The school was awarded $1,500 which Price is allowing the workers to spend on whatever cafeteria equipment they wish. She says they have picked out pans and racks they normally wouldn’t be able to purchase as part of their regular budget.

Price and her employees have made major menu changes as part of the effort. Whole grains are now a staple and fresh fruit is served along with dark orange and dark green vegetables. Two fresh fruits are served each week, and a different fruit and vegetable appear on the menu each day. Also, a dry bean or pea is included once a week.

The application process is tedious: menus must be submitted along with recipes for every food and labels for every product. Schools must also be able to prove that students are receiving physical education and also have the opportunities for 90 minutes of physical activity each week.

“There’s been a lot of hard work go into it. I want the best for Lavaca Public School kids,” Price explained when asked about why the she and the cafeteria workers took on the challenge.

She feels as though few people understand just how hard it really is.

“I don’t think the children or parents realize the requirements that we have to meet. A lot of the adults think that we just come in and open up a can of green beans and serve it,” she explained.

Price is preparing Gold applications for the elementary and middle school/high school cafeterias. She plans to submit them in the spring. Harrisburg is the only other Arkansas school to have received a HealthierUS Challenge Award.