A Day in the Life of a Hero

 

Child Nutrition Manager Melanie Rose and Superintendent Dr. Rob Jackson

No stranger to early mornings, still climbing into the truck at 5:00am is not typical for my life as a Superintendent. This morning though I was excited to begin what promised to be an incredible day. The drive through the stillness of early morning would take 50 minutes as I drove from my home to Atlantic Elementary School, an incredible school serving in a small, rural, and geographically remote area nestled in the eastern end of Carteret County. Perched on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, the unincorporated town is a mere ten feet above sea level.

Today I would be privileged to assist Child Nutrition Manager Melanie Rose in the cafeteria of one of the school system's smallest schools. Though I have served and shadowed in cafeterias on a regular basis during my tenure as a Superintendent and while serving as a Principal, this would be a new experience as Mrs. Rose is a team of one in operating the cafeteria. So intrigued was I by this unique assignment, I determined shortly after I arrived in the district that this would be the first cafeteria I spent the day in.

I arrived at 6:00am ready for a great day. I pulled on the apron I had borrowed from my friend and colleague Richie Paylor and went inside to find Mrs. Rose already hard at work. I had been told that she started each day at 6:00am but learned that often she came in earlier to ensure that "I'm ready for the babies," she said.

The first thing on the agenda was to wash my hands, pull on my gloves, learn how to put on a hairnet, and pack the meal delivery bags with breakfast. Each bag was destined for a different classroom. Each school breakfast meal contains a grain (and sometimes a protein), fruit/juice, and milk. At Atlantic Elementary, almost 100% of the students choose to eat breakfast daily. I helped Mr. Fulcher, the school custodian, push the cart loaded with meal delivery bags down the hallway to the classrooms. Each set of bags was placed very specifically for each room in the exact spot previously identified by the teacher. Even in placing bags in a classroom, this level of service for teachers and students resonated within me as Mr. Fulcher knew where every bag was to be placed in each room. When the students and teachers arrived for the day, they would find their breakfast waiting for them.

After delivering breakfast to the classrooms and washing my hands again, I pulled on a new set of gloves and watched as Mrs. Rose printed out the day's recipes and followed her instructions in bringing food out of the pantry and freezers. Every item was precisely measured and every recipe followed perfectly. 

An occasional twinkle in her eye made me wonder if Mrs. Rose was adding a dash of something special to the mixture. I later realized that it was an incredible love for every student that went into the meal. As we worked, dirty dishes were quickly washed so that they did not pile up. I lost count of how many times I found myself standing at the hand-washing sink singing the "Happy Birthday" song while washing my hands.

The food smelled delicious as it was cooking. While it was cooking, we quickly transitioned to putting together individual bags of milk and fruit for tomorrow morning's breakfast. Not a single moment was wasted. When you are a staff of one, you cannot afford to slow down. 

Lunch was ready to be dished out into individual serving containers. Each school lunch meal contains a protein, grain, fruit/juice, vegetable, and milk. At Atlantic Elementary, most students eat in classrooms so that they may remain socially-distanced while eating. Today's menu included:

Glazed Carrots 

(I will not give away all of the Carteret County Public Schools recipe secrets for healthy meals that taste great, but as I would learn later when I had my own lunch, using orange juice to glaze the carrots was a stroke of genius!)

Fried Rice

The Fried Rice included peas and carrots with a low sodium soy sauce. The rice was perfect with none sticking together. I tried to claim some credit for the outcome, but the truth is Mrs. Rose kept a very careful eye on all of my efforts, guiding and coaching me as she helped me help her.

Mandarin Orange Chicken

After cooking, the special sauce had to be lightly stirred into the pan of chicken. I was given this task and delighted to be able to complete this assignment without removing all of the breading from the chicken. Peaches and Skim Milk completed this incredible feast.

To help keep everyone safe, all school meals are individually packaged so that only the student touches their meal. Meals are packaged and packed into warming bags for easy delivery to classrooms. After packing the individual containers into the meal bags, I joined Custodian Mrs. Monica Adams in delivering lunches to the classrooms just as the teachers were expecting them.

A special treat was visiting with the students in the classes that did eat in the cafeteria, fully social distanced. They were enthusiastic in their praise of Mrs. Rose, as was each of the teachers I spoke with. Between serving students, milk and fruit were prepped for tomorrow's lunch service. There was not a moment to be wasted.

With all of lunches served, we began to clean up.  The floors were swept and mopped. The final dishes, pots, and pans were washed and put away. The equipment and serving areas were cleaned and sanitized. My duties finished, I took my leave of Mrs. Rose as she retired to her office to finalize her paperwork for the day. A tireless worker with a tremendous love for the children in her care, Mrs. Rose is the perfect example of the best of us.

The day was done in the Atlantic Elementary cafeteria. I walked out the door to head to my office and the paperwork and phone calls waiting for me there. I glanced at the flags that I walked past early this morning, now bathed in the afternoon light. I couldn't help thinking that after a day assisting Mrs. Rose, there is no question that heroes work here!