One of FM’s top K-12 stories of the year was longtime FM friend Jessica Shelly of Cincinnati Public Schools receiving FAME’s top honor, Golden Foodservice Director of the Year Award. Go, Jessica! She was cited as the kind of director who strives to “not just serve school lunch, but to serve lunch at school.” Certainly making school lunch a positive part of kids’ lives is at the top of mind for the best “lunch ladies” and “food dudes” who fight for their right to nourish. On that note, we’ve included not just the Capital Hill news stories that affect school lunch’s future, but also the people who make a difference every day, the school lunch heroes that FM has been chronicling for 50 years. We also revisit the ways K-12 foodservice is leading the way with cool menu items and also paving the road for more farmers, more cultural diversity and more inclusion. In case you missed it, be sure to check out the last story on our list, where special needs students in Chicago learn valuable kitchen skills.
