May 4, 2024

The national, non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) has named Sheena Boyd, Production Staff Professional for Cedar Creek Elementary School, in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, the Mountain Plains region Employee of the Year. The award recognizes the valuable contribution of school nutrition employees who exhibit a remarkable commitment to both their school meal program and the students they serve.

Sheena Boyd is known to go above and beyond what is expected and does so with a calming and positive attitude. The students love it when she is at the Grab & Go breakfast station. She brings a smile to their tired faces, calling students by name and complimenting them to start their day. School staff members appreciate the kindness and respect she shows them each day. When incoming kindergartners come into the cafeteria nervous and unsure, Sheena’s kindness and patience help make them feel safe and cared for.

Meal quality, appearance and presentation are very important to Boyd. She often utilizes speed scratch cooking, and her out-of-the-box thinking allows her to maintain planned menus, even when staff is shorthanded. Boyd is self-motivated and steps up to fill the void during staffing challenges, often doing the work of two people without complaint. She can be seen cleaning and closing the kitchen, completing end-of-day reports and making bank deposits when her manager is absent. Her hard work was recognized when she was named Nutrition Services Employee of the Month.

Boyd and the staff created excitement among students during the Christmas season when the school Elf appeared in different areas of the cafeteria each day, spotted in the milk cooler, hanging on a mixer or covered with shredded cheese from helping in the kitchen.

“Sheena is reliable, dependable and truly cares about her kitchen and her students,” said Chris Derico, SNS, School Nutrition Association President. “She has a natural talent for making kids smile and feel happy.”

Boyd is SNA certified and attends local and state SNA meetings regularly with an eye toward both professional improvement and uncovering new ideas to implement at school. She also frequently attends events on batch cooking, forecasting and recipes to learn new ideas of meals to prepare for students.

The Employee of the Year Award was created to recognize outstanding school nutrition employees who influence the quality of school meals through customer service, an interest in young people, cooperation, work attendance, creativity, participation in professional development and their willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty.

Boyd was announced as the Mountain Plains region Employee of the Year during an online awards ceremony on April 30 in advance of School Lunch Hero Day, celebrated on May 3, 2024, to honor all of America’s dedicated school nutrition professionals. The accomplishments of Boyd and all SNA award winners will also be highlighted in a special digital publication and promoted in SNA’s annual Hero Day social media campaign on Facebook.com/TrayTalk and TrayTalk.org.

The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing 50,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. For more information on school meals, visit www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals.