By Kyla Rand-
It is a common stereotype that school lunches are bad or gross, but the lunches at Mount Vernon High School are something to brag about. Twice in late October, representatives of Solon High School have come to MVHS to have a look at our food choices, the variety, and how they are prepared.
It started at a monthly principal meeting for those in the WaMaC conference. Principal Lesen of Solon asked other administrators if their schools had great lunches. Principal Brand volunteered Mount Vernon. The Solon team came and were “extremely impressed,” Mr. Brand said. Then they returned with their food administrator.
“When I was in school you only had one choice,” lunch server Kathy Darrow said. That’s not the case at MVHS, where we have a choice of two soups, ready-made wraps, a salad bar, and a sandwich bar in addition to the main lunch menu.
School Nutrician Specialist Marcia Perrington said, “Life’s about choice… We need to feed the kids in the best possible way.” The students here appreciate it, and the students who come here from other districts appreciate it even more.
As a new student this year, junior Alex Doser compared his last school, North Cedar, to MVHS. “It’s not even a contest. Mount Vernon is much better,” Doser said. “Here there is a soup option, and it’s amazing. Plus, there are things like pasta bar, which we never had at North Cedar.” Junior Ashley Neal, who is new this year from Lisbon, likes Mount Vernon’s variety and selection as well.
“We need to be happy with what we have, and we need to be thankful for not only the food but the people who cook it,” Mr. Brand said. “They’re great ladies, and our lunches are student centered. They really care about the students.”
Possibly Mr. Brand hit on the most important factor–the lunch workers care about the students. “They know most of the students by name,” said senior Mike Mrstik.”
