School Nutrition Program Wins Slew Of Awards

Alisa Jones (right) accepts award from
School Superintendent Dr. Chris Roppe

Members of the Jeff Davis County School Nutrition Program are, from left, School Nutrition Director Alisa Jones, lunchroom managers Angela Burkett (high school), Peggy Sickles (middle school), Margaret Rentz (elementary school), Cathy Tanner (primary school), and Tammy Toler (Pre-K). At right is School Superintendent Dr. Chris Roppe.

When Jeff Davis County School Nutrition Program (SNP) Director Alisa Jones took over the job from retiring SNP Director Janice Conley, she discovered quickly that she had a lot to learn.
With over a decade crunching the numbers for the SNP, she understood well the financial side of the program. But running the program that feeds thousands of Jeff Davis County students at five locations was a different story. Fortunately, she says, she had a seasoned staff of lunchroom managers to work with who helped her through her learning curve and she’s quick to laud their experience and dedication to their work.
Working as a team, Jones and lunchroom managers Angela Burkett, Peggy Sickles, Margaret Rentz, Cathy Tanner and Tammy Toler have made great strides and, as a result of their work, they brought home what was termed “a slew of awards” from the Georgia School Nutrition Association annual awards ceremony.
The awards were a focus of Monday night’s meeting of the Jeff Davis County Board of Education.
Jones won the Beyond the Plate award; Rentz brought home the Gold Scroll Award; the Pre-K, primary and high school programs were cited for Consistently High Breakfast Participation; the high school was recognized for a 3% increase in Breakfast Participation; the central office, school system and all five schools were recognized for 100% membership in the Association; and the primary and elementary schools drew accolades for 100% certification.
Additionally, the Jeff Davis School District SNP received the 2020 Vision sign for excelling in meeting the 2020 Vision for school nutrition.
And Jeff Davis School Superintendent Dr. Chris Roppe presented Mrs. Jones the “No Kid Hungry” award. “Our school nutrition teams are true heroes and have been on the front lines since day one,” Dr. Roppe said. “This award recognizes them for their tireless commitment to food access and educational equity.”
While recognizing each of her lunchroom managers and their success stories, Jones went over other details of the local SNP including the commitment to providing fresh food for the county’s school children. She said that during 2020, the department purchased 3,740 cases of fresh food — 48,020 lbs. of fresh fruit and vegetables that were locally grown. And the program reached out to several farmers in neighboring counties in addition to Jeff Davis County farmers.
Jones shared with the board that the department’s goal is to get children to the cafeteria to eat. For many of the children, the school breakfast and lunch are the only two meals the children get each school day.
In other action at Monday’s meeting, the board ….
…. approved SNP bid rollovers.
…. okayed an out of state trip request for the high school boys basketball team to attend camp in Denmark, S.C.
…. accepted the low bid to install outdoor aluminum bleachers at the middle school from H.E. Hodge Company for $25,984.
…. awarded the bid to repair fences at the tennis courts to National Fence Company with the low bid of $6,000 and an additional $5,000 to strengthen the opposite four lines to prevent the same type of damage.
…. put on the table for public review policy updates on employees leaves and absences, and competitive interscholastic activities for grades 6-12.
…. approved a spending resolution for July, 2021, and a budget amendment for fiscal year 2020-2021.
…. heard financial reports from Finance Director Betty Corbitt.
…. accepted the retirement of Linda Hutchinson and the resignations of Susan Moore and Wanda Dykes.
…. named Paul Glass assistant athletic director; approved part-time teachers and custodial staff for 2021-2022; named Tammy Toler Pre-K Cafeteria Manager; transferred Linda Sharon Alday from a 4-hour position to a 6-hour position as a SNP Assistant; and approved the extracurricular supplements.
…. heard that the schools received the Georgia Education Workers’ Compensation Trust Safety Award for maintaining a 25% or lower loss ratio for 2020.
…. were informed that Dr. Roppe, Board Chairman Roger Ogilvie, Assistant Superintendent Chuck Crosby and County Commission Chairman Brad Crews had toured the FFA Show Barn.