MVCSD food service staff get a taste of year ahead during professional development retreat

Mount Vernon City School District lunch monitors, head chefs, managers and other food service workers kicked off the new school year with their annual professional development retreat, which served up valuable training, teamwork and a taste of what’s ahead for 2026-27.

Staff members from Sodexo – the District’s K-12 food services provide -- gathered at Mount Vernon High School for the various activities, including food tasting, as they prepared to welcome students back from summer vacation.

The annual professional development sessions help employees review procedures and regulations while strengthening the teamwork necessary to provide exceptional service to students.

Sodexo General Manager Amanda Plummer said the annual gathering also provides an important morale boost before the start of school.

Sodexo’s theme this year is “Operational Excellence,” while Ms. Plummer developed a Mount Vernon theme -- “New Beginnings and a Fresh Start” -- for the employees.

The preparation began with separate sessions for managers and lead employees, who help oversee food service operations in individual buildings. Ms. Plummer incorporated icebreakers, customer service and communication training and team-building activities.

“They’re our foundation,” she said of the lead employees. “They’re our boots on the ground, they’re our eyes and ears, so I need to ensure that they are cohesive. They trust one another.”

During a Mardi Gras-themed session, employees participated in an “unmasking” exercise in which they reflected on professional or personal challenges that may have affected them during the previous school year.

Each employee put on a mask, considered what had held them back and was given an opportunity to share before taking off the mask, symbolically leaving those challenges behind.

“The unmasking was to leave it behind,” Ms. Plummer said.

Employees also decorated small pastry boxes that contained a surprise: a mirror Ms. Plummer had placed inside. Co-workers passed the boxes around and wrote inspirational messages for one another that they could revisit during the school year.

The activities underscored the important role food service employees play in the daily lives of Mount Vernon students, a message Superintendent Dr. Demario Strickland emphasized when he addressed the group.

“You all are the ones that look after our students, the ones that help take care of our students, the ones that make sure our students are feeling nourished each and every single day,” Dr. Strickland said.

He encouraged staff members to engage with students as they come through the cafeteria and ask them to sample new foods.

“I want you to think about our babies as they’ve come through those lines, encourage them to try new things,” Dr. Strickland said.

He also urged employees to remember that even the District’s older students are still children and deserve patience, understanding and compassion.

The retreat also focused on the regulations and procedures employees must follow while serving thousands of meals throughout the school year.

The District participates in the National School Lunch Program and practices Offer versus Serve, or OVS, a USDA meal service option in school nutrition programs that allows students to decline some food items they do not intend to eat.

Ms. Plummer explained that five components must be offered at lunch: meat or a meat alternative, vegetable, fruit, grain and milk.

Students may take all five but must select at least three components for the lunch to qualify as a complete reimbursable meal. At least one selection must include a half-cup of fruit or vegetables.

“We have to offer all five components,” she said. “And the students are only required to take three of the five.”

She explained that the nutritional content of meals is based on requirements for different grade levels, making it essential that employees understand what constitutes a complete meal. OVS also gives students more choice in what they eat while helping reduce food waste.

Food Services Director Donna Jackson reminded families that the District, which is peanut-free, is committed to serving healthy meals featuring whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and quality meats.  

“Our food service management team at Sodexo ensures all meals are healthy and nutritious,” she said, reminding families that all students eat school meals for free. “However, if they plan to buy a second meal or a healthy snack, please sign your child up for MySchoolBucks.”

Students use their student ID numbers as cafeteria PINs when receiving meals.

The professional development day was not all regulations and procedures. Employees also had an opportunity to sample new food items from several vendors, including Kayfoods, Tyson Foods and General Mills.

Ms. Plummer said the combination of training and team building is intended to make sure employees return to their schools ready to work together and provide students with both nutritious meals and a positive cafeteria experience.

“We’ll go into the processes and procedures of the expectations of Sodexo,” she said, while also using icebreakers “to get them boosted, to get them alive.”
 
After a day devoted to learning, bonding and sampling what may be coming to cafeteria tables, the Sodexo employees could say with confidence that the new school year is already looking very appetizing.