Breakfast and lunch looks different this school year at Davis Junior High School thanks to an upgraded and redesigned kitchen and serving area, funded by the voter approved 2023 Safety and Success Bond Proposal.
“It was needed,” Davis Junior High Principal, Brian Shepard said. “I think it’s important for people not only to see the improvements on the outside of the building, but the inside, too. They can see where their tax dollars were utilized for a better student experience.”
The updated café style left 8th grader, Serena Rose H., impressed and shocked when she first saw the new serving area.
“It feels amazing to see the new facility because it looks better than it did last year,” Serena Rose H. said.
When the UCS Food and Nutrition team were contacted by the Macomb Intermediate School District (MISD) to have the Ontario Office of School Nutrition Programs visit some facilities, the team scheduled the Canadian guests to visit Davis Junior High, as well as Stevenson High School and Schwarzkoff Elementary.
“I chose UCS to have the Canadian team visit, due in large part to the extensive variety of service models that Mandy (Sosnowski) and her team utilize,” said MISD Child Nutrition Consultant, Carolyn Thomas. “But more importantly to showcase the amazing work that they do to bring fresh, healthy choices to UCS students every day, in a variety of ways.”
Canada recently approved providing some federal funding to support school food programs, something that Danielle Findlay, Supervisor of Community Relations for the Ontario Student Nutrition Program – Southwest Region, said the United States were far ahead of Canada in regards to infrastructure, planning and programming.
“This is a really unique international collaboration – some great things are happening here, and we hope to be able to implement those successes at home,” Findlay said.
For Davis Kitchen Manager, Janet Northrup, a successful team means that everyone must be organized and willing to work together.
“Our goal is always to feed the kids, and that job comes first no matter what your job title is,” Northrup emphasized. “Breakfast and lunch are extremely important for the students – if they’re hungry, they can’t concentrate.”
Overall, Davis students have enjoyed the new serving area, Northrup explained, and according to Serena Rose H., the new ovens have made the cookies even better than they had been before!
