All the staff at Fauquier High School (FHS) work hard to create a fun and engaging learning environment for students. However, there’s one group that plays a crucial role in keeping everyone happy and energized– the lunch ladies, who ensure no student goes hungry. FHS has an exceptionally great group of lunch workers who care for the student’s health and mind and contribute to their everyday lives.

Being a high school lunch worker is difficult, as it’s necessary to prepare good food and get it done quickly, then after serving it, they have to deal with students of all kinds. The lunch ladies remain professional despite their surroundings and continue to spread kindness, but it doesn’t come easy. Joan Grant, one of the school nutritionists, has worked at FHS for an appalling 20 years. Stacy Fox, who has also worked in FHS for a similar time, expressed, “The reason why I work here is because of the schedule .. we get summer time off and decent work hours.” Karen Cottrell, who is the “Nutritionist Two” at FHS agreed, and expressed that her favorite part of the job is, “the students.” They all agreed that they love the students at FHS and have had mainly positive experiences. If they couldn’t get nicer, Kimbarlee Hoke, one of the school nutritionists, spoke for herself and the rest of the staff, stating, “The most rewarding part of the job is knowing we feed [the students].”

These lunch ladies have a tough job, working long hours to prepare meals for hundreds of students while often facing understaffing and limited resources. Despite these challenges, they remain kind and dedicated, ensuring everyone is fed and with a warm smile. Their hard work often goes unnoticed, but they deserve more appreciation for the essential role they play in schools.