Taylor School District
Blair Moody Elementary of Taylor School District feeds 190 students for breakfast and 180 students for lunch daily. The food service staff has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic and now that school is back in person, they are still just as dedicated. Despite ongoing challenges, the staff continues to innovate and find the best way to serve nutritious meals to their students. Launching a brand-new Breakfast in the Classroom program this fall, with support from United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s Better with Breakfast campaign, Blair Moody is seeing calmer classrooms and fueling student minds to be ready to learn.
Since the pandemic began in March 2020, Blair Moody Elementary has changed food service models several times to best serve their students. From bus drivers and maintenance workers delivering meals to the kids’ homes, teachers and support staff packing meal bags, to the superintendent and principals passing out meals on distribution days, the Taylor School District team came together to ensure every child was fed.
Although the start of the school year has brought back a feeling of normalcy, Nancy & Erica, the food service staff at Blair Moody Elementary are now facing the challenge of food shortages. “Our team has been instrumental in the menu planning. We do not know what the menu will be until we receive a supply truck,” said Jennifer Trombetta, Director of Food Service for Taylor School District. “The team’s ability to make things happen and follow the guidelines to ensure our students are eating healthy and nutritious meals is a clear sign that the Taylor food service team puts kids first.”
While putting the kids first has always been a priority, Blair Moody Elementary School Principal Michelle Hernandez realizes the importance of also ensuring her staff is a top priority and has the support they need to make a difference in the students’ lives. She makes sure to keep an open communication line and an assembled school improvement team which allows concerns to be addressed and solutions brought to the table. Hernandez commends her staff and food service team for their dedication and perseverance.
“Our head cook, Erica, is positive, upbeat, careful and thoughtful. She goes above and beyond, like finding colorful buckets at the Dollar Store to use for serving breakfast to make it more appealing to the students,” said Hernandez. “Jennifer, our Food Service Director, came into our district and brought life into the program. She is always available and is a go-getter, consistently making new things happen for the schools.” Hernandez credits the success of the program to staff’s attitude, attentiveness and having the ability to be flexible and embrace changes along the way, always putting the needs of the kids first.
