Serving with Heart: How OSD’s Child Nutrition Team Prepares for a New School Year

Oxford, Mississippi — As families prepare for a new school year, the Oxford School District’s Child Nutrition Department is already hard at work behind the scenes planning menus and setting the stage for healthy meals from the very first day of school.

Last school year, the department served more than 278,000 breakfasts and nearly 391,000 lunches across the district – each one being the result of thoughtful planning and a commitment to student well-being.

The menus change annually, and it all starts in the summer. The seven cafeteria managers, Direct Support Specialist, Tajanae Rivera-Buford, and the Assistant Director of Child Nutrition/Nutritionist, Jeannette Clements meet together to build a four-week-cycle menu that balances student favorites with nutritious meals. While preparing, they analyze student feedback, participation data, commercial food trends, what items were most popular, and how items fit into our nutrition guidelines and budget.

Innovation plays a key role in how the department meets student needs. One popular example is the Grab-and-Bolt meals – a quick and convenient option for students. Originally launched at the high school and middle school, it will expand to the intermediate school this coming fall.

Together, Child Nutrition Director Daniel Westmoreland, Assistant Director/Nutritionist Jeannette Clements, and Direct Support Specialist Tajanae Rivera-Buford bring more than 80 years of combined experience in the food service industry. Their leadership, along with the dedicated team of school cafeteria staff, keeps the district’s kitchens running smoothly and students well-fed.

We are so thankful for our dedicated Child Nutrition Department and all they do to help support student success – one meal at a time.

For more information, please visit www.oxfordsd.org/ChildNutrition.