Each school day, CBSD’s Food Services team does far more than serve breakfast and lunch. Before students arrive and long after the serving lines close, team members are preparing, planning, and working together to ensure students have nutritious meals and a welcoming experience.

During National School Lunch Week, Columbia Borough School District is recognizing the dedicated people who help students begin the day ready to learn and stay fueled throughout it.

A successful meal service depends on many moving parts. Food Services staff receive deliveries, put food away, wash, cut, portion, and prepare fresh ingredients, set up serving lines, organize milk, fruit, vegetables, condiments, and utensils, and complete required food-safety checks. Everything follows a schedule so breakfast and lunch are ready when students arrive.

Brian Rathgeb, CBSD’s Director of Food Services, compares the work to a steam locomotive.

“School food services are like those old steam locomotives,” Rathgeb said. “The engine has many moving parts, it takes a team to keep the machine running, and there are schedules to keep.”

At the high school, the work begins as early as 5:30 a.m. Kitchen Manager Angela Senft and her team individually wash, cut, and package fresh fruits and vegetables, prepare salads and wraps each day, and batch-cook meals between lunch periods to help ensure freshness.

The team also works with the Edible Classroom to incorporate fresh herbs and vegetables grown by students into school lunches—an example of how Food Services connects students to where their food comes from.

For Laura Splain and the elementary Food Services team, care extends to every detail, from meal preparation to presentation. On average, the team serves 250 breakfasts and 300 lunches each day.

“We make sure that no student leaves the cafeteria hungry,” Splain shared.

This year, the Food Services staff at Park Elementary is also bringing extra excitement to National School Lunch Week with a carnival theme. Their creative efforts help make mealtime fun and welcoming while giving students another reason to look forward to the school day.

CBSD’s breakfast-in-the-classroom program helps students quickly pick up a nutritious breakfast and head to class ready to start their day. Students have multiple breakfast choices, including fruit or dried fruit, juice, and milk.

Food Services staff also want students to feel comfortable trying new foods. “If we wouldn’t eat it, we won’t serve it,” Splain said. She enjoys seeing students try something new, such as roasted cauliflower.

Behind every meal is a team that adapts quickly, works in sync, and cares deeply about students. School meals must meet detailed nutrition requirements, including fruit or vegetable options, whole grains, calorie guidelines, and sodium standards. Through CBSD’s Community Eligibility Provision, every student can receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day.

Every Role Matters because nourishing students helps support their readiness to learn. Thank you to the entire CBSD Food Services team for the hard work, care, creativity, and teamwork you bring to our schools each day.