In light of Valentine’s Day, our food service and staff are highlighted and appreciated for the continuous effort and love put into our food at AHS. As a school, we are beyond lucky to have such healthy and delicious breakfast, lunch, and snacks served to our plates every day.
According to the ASD mission statement, “The goal of the department is to ensure that all students have access to delicious, healthy, seasonal meals in order to grow their bodies, minds, and futures.”
At Aspen High School, we have two outstanding staff members who work extremely hard to bring food to our students. Tenille Folk is our food service director, and Lindy Morton is the AHS kitchen manager. Tenille has been with the Aspen School District since 2009. She is originally from Australia, and after completing a culinary apprenticeship and traveling the world, she settled in Aspen in 2001.
The food service team holds standards high with the healthy choices they serve. Our nutritious food is low in fat, sodium, and added sugars. These healthy options are served a la carte, breakfast, and lunch. The ingredient lists for every school lunch can be found on the Aspen High School website to ensure students and families know what they are eating.
The lunch staff works incredibly hard to serve lunch to our students. The staff is looking for volunteers to help serve lunch and assist with all their hard work. Even though they do a fantastic job, volunteers are appreciated.
Currently, there is a plant tower in the commons. It is growing all types of plants that will eventually be incorporated into the salad bar. The plant tower was donated to the school with seeds to grow healthy, organic food for students. So be on the lookout for new veggies in the salad bar.
Meatless Mondays were recently brought back after a brief hiatus. There is more than what meets the eye on the technical aspects of not having meat in our lunches once a week. As a school, reducing meat consumption has a more significant environmental impact than we think. Reducing meat consumption lowers greenhouse gas emissions and reduces freshwater withdrawal. As a school, we have three different bins for waste: recycling, compost, and trash bins. Although students try their best to separate their waste, the lunch staff ensures they separate all extra waste in the right area.
Additionally, AHS offers a breakfast special to students on the free and reduced lunch program. They serve breakfast daily from 8:00-8:45, so if you’re on the free and reduced lunch program, grab breakfast if needed.
Take advantage of our delicious and healthy food, and next time, thank the staff for their hard work when grabbing something from the cafe or getting a hot lunch from the school. Write them a letter or tell them how much you appreciate them for all they do.
