Over the weekend, Mary Darnton, food service director for Jenison and Hudsonville Public Schools, won Director of the Year from the School Nutrition Association of Michigan (SNAM).
One of her food service employees, Kimberly Engelhard, also won Employee of the Year.
They had 14 lunch ladies, four management team members, two interns, Kimberly's husband and kids, and Mary's sisters attend the celebration in downtown Kalamazoo.
We reached out to Darnton to ask about their experience and what makes our food service department so successful. Here are her answers:
How did you feel when you found out you had been nominated and won?
I was equal parts honored and embarrassed. I was nominated by Dan Gorman, a friend and fellow Director for Montague and North Muskegon Schools. To be recognized by a friend is such a lovely gift; I’ve always believed in helping colleagues and “paying it forward” because the K-12 food service world is equally hard and wonderful. I was also slightly embarrassed because I don’t do this job for recognition or honors; I am only one person in a team of over 100 people who gets to do this work everyday.
What do you think makes your department run so well and get recognized like this?
We invest in our staff! It starts first with hiring the best people we can find and then giving them a solid foundation of training, learning our systems and processes. Then it’s about making sure they have all the tools they need to be successful. When we all pull in the same direction, we can make miracles happen.
We also put in the work to make sure our employees are recognized! Internally we have several programs that celebrate staff. Our management team sends Positive Unexpected Notes (PUN) cards to staff weekly, and draws a winner each week. Colleagues can nominate one another for going “above and beyond” for the Golden Spatula Award and we randomly select a winner each month. And we have FUN AT WORK! It’s an essential ingredient to our success.
Why is Kimberly such a good employee for your department?
Assistant Director Tracy Nelson nominated Kim. In her nomination, Tracy wrote:
"Kimberly steps into the role of team leader whenever the need arises. Her personality is upbeat and engaging. She gets the middle school students to belt out their favorite 90's tunes. She has a great relationship with the building principals (both present and former). She is always willing to host marketing events.
She is the fun heartbeat of her kitchen. She can get her teammates to dress up in tutus, full pirate costumes, inflatable snowmen costumes...in fact, you name it and I'm sure she has done it. When someone spilled ketchup, Kim turned it into a crime scene and texted the pictures to me. She's also great at being a traditional lunch lady.
She can cook, recognize reimbursable meals, stock shelves, unload delivery trucks, prep fresh items, run a register, and clean and sanitize. She also greets students warmly, encourages kids to take fruits and/or veggies, manages fast-paced lines, and acts as a welcoming, comforting face in the school who listens to kids and brightens their day. She also will be the voice of reason, and the strict mom persona when the middle school students need that personality."
Can you describe your emotions at the banquet with your team and some family in attendance?
I was so proud of my team. We took 20 staff with us this year and every one of them has been with us for at least 5 years; we took 273 years of school nutrition experience. That’s a whole lotta love and devotion to kids. My heart was so full.
There is no way I could have accepted this honor without having my sisters there. We are very close and they’ve had a front row seat to almost 30 years of hot lunch stories. They knew how I felt about getting the award and told me I had to do it anyway. “Don’t worry,” my younger sister Julie said, “you’ll never get this award again!” And big sister Martha rubbed my back comfortingly just before I went on stage to accept the award.