From Superintendent

Robert Vian

Carmen Griffith NW Regional Award Winner

Congratulations to Carmen Griffith, Food Service Director for Joint School District 171 for being named by the School Nutrition Association as the Northwest Regions Director of the Year, which recognizes the extraordinary contributions of school nutrition directors who manage effective school meal programs providing healthy, appetizing meals to students.  The nation is divided into 7 regions.  

                     Joint School District Food Service Director Wins National Recognition

(National Harbor, MD, May 2, 2017) – The national, non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) has awarded Carmen Griffith, Food Service Director for Joint School District 171 Schools, ID, the Northwest regional Director of the Year Award, which recognizes the extraordinary contributions of school nutrition directors who manage effective school meal programs providing healthy, appetizing meals to students.

Carmen Griffith was instrumental in increasing the number of students who participate in the breakfast program. Griffith was among one of the first nutrition directors in the state of Idaho to implement Breakfast in the Classroom, helping to reach almost 100 percent participation district-wide. Griffith also worked with Joint School District’s superintendent to secure a food service contract to provide high quality meals to students for a local academy. The meals provided are above and beyond what was previously served; much of the menu is cooked from scratch.

A proponent of communicating with the community through media, Griffith publishes the school menu in the newspaper and online. She coordinates posting monthly school board program reports to the district website, and worked alongside the technology director to develop and implement a PayPal option on the district website to aide parents and community members.

“At the forefront of child nutrition, school nutrition directors are invested in the well-being of their students, leading programs that promote healthy lifestyles and ensuring access to balanced, nutritious meals,” said SNA CEO Patricia Montague, CAE. “Carmen’s desire to communicate her district’s great menu options and cafeteria happenings with the community is very important to the success of her district’s school nutrition programs.”

The regional Director of the Year Award was created to recognize school nutrition directors who exhibit an extraordinary commitment to their school meal programs. The directors are responsible for maintaining the quality of the program through student interaction, menu planning and a commitment to serving nutritious, tasty and well-balanced school meals.  Through effective oversight of all aspects of foodservice operations, including budgeting, staffing, training, marketing and community outreach, school nutrition directors ensure the overall success of school meal programs.

In July, Griffith will be honored during the Awards Ceremony at the School Nutrition Association’s Annual National Conference in Atlanta, GA.

About School Nutrition Association:
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing 57,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. For more information on school meals, visit www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals.