Let’s talk about lunch, and no, not just eating tacos and burgers. Have you ever thought about what work goes into making our lunches? Every school day, a team of hard working lunch staff forms an entire lunch schedule and makes all of the meals for Chelsea High School. It’s time we recognize who they are and what they do.

Dee Fojtik is the kind, smiling, face that most students see everyday. She has worked in Chelsea for 15 years and worked at every school in the district. She says that the high school is her favorite. Some students complain about waking up early, but Ms. Fotjik has to be here working at 6:45 every day for the breakfast students sometimes take for granted. Once breakfast is over, it’s time to prep for lunch, which is usually the hardest part of her day. After the last lunch is over, it’s clean up until she leaves. Her normal work day lasts until one p.m., but she often stays later for deliveries. And on Career Talk days, there’s even more work because of the pizzas that have to be made.

She says that making sure the food is done and cooked on time can be hard, and knowing the amount of food to make is really a “big guessing game.” You’d think that three lunches in such rapid succession would be tiring, but to Fojtik it’s no big deal. “There’s a lot of running around because sometimes we do need to make more food in between, but it’s not bad.”

It’s important to understand what exactly goes into making that plate of tacos or hamburger. The hardworking staff in our cafeteria. Early mornings, hard work, hours of prep and planning and great people, all which are often taken for granted and go unnoticed. Recognizing the dedicated lunch staff and appreciating the work they do everyday so CHS is full, is just one way to give back and say thank you. If you don’t usually buy lunch, you’d definitely be welcome. “I think people should try to come in and see what we have. Just come and look around!”