An extremely underappreciated piece of our George Rogers Clark community.
They arrive at the crack of dawn and work tirelessly.
They strive for nothing but greatness every day when they walk through the doors of GRC at 6:30 in the morning.
The GRC Cafeteria Staff puts their hard work in every day, pushing out hundreds of meals to growling bellies in search of a meal to satisfy their hunger.
Getting to the school before the sun even rises, GRC’s Cafeteria team is dedicated to what they do.
“I’m here at five, but I clock in at 5:30…my assistant comes in at six, then staff starts coming at 6:30,” says Café manager Gina Walker.
It is imperative that this hard-working staff arrives this early so they can have breakfast and lunch prepared for the students on time.
“Typically we get started around 7:00 for breakfast, and then we start serving,” says Walker.
This wonderful group of GRC employees also begins their lunch prep very early. The head cook begins her work around 7:30 for her co-workers to eat their lunch before serving the students.
“After second chance breakfast, she starts for the first lunch period,” Walker says.
The Cafeteria staff has their heads down ready to work hard for the day once they clock in, doing everything they can to put food on our lunch tables.
“For breakfast we average 700 meals served and for lunch we’re averaging over 1,000,” Walker says. “That’s what we do every 20 minutes. We’re pumping out 400 meals per lunch basically.”
They push out thousands of plates every week day; however, there is more that goes on behind the scenes in the kitchen than what meets the regular eye in this building.
The GRC Café works to not only feed the student body, but they also make sure to develop those special once-in-a-lifetime bonds with one another, always keeping the good vibes alive in the kitchen.
“We are very positive,” Walker says. “I’m a positive energy person and that’s what I encourage, so with that they know and fall into that. You don’t want a negative person out there where the students are because sometimes we can really make a difference in their day…”
The Cafeteria Staff makes sure to only leave a positive impact on the students, yearning to make a difference for the greater good in any student’s life.
(Photo by Rileigh Reed)
Every morning and afternoon, this staff makes their happy energy and brings that positive impact, with their voices of kindness flowing through the school atmosphere.
“…just to hear and see us laugh and dance…because when I was your age, there’s no way I would have gotten out in front of anybody and danced, but at my age, I don’t care,” says Walker. “And the students just think it’s the funniest thing.”
The Café Staff is known to serve us and make us food, but as much as they care about the food they place in front of us, they care about each and every one of the students even more. It is the best part of their jobs.
“I love my staff and I love the kids. I mean, that’s why we’re here. It’s not for the money, it’s for the students,” Walker says.
The Café team is just one more support system for the students here at GRC that we don’t even realize we have that is an amazing part of our day. Every. Single. Day.
They show up every day and work with every ounce of being they have. Doing things to make us laugh. Making us feel good. Filling our bellies.
This staff will continue to be spectacular, like they are today. They will continue to leave a lasting impact on our little, tight-knit community with the ring of their laughter bouncing around the walls of the hallways, from the 100s to the ATC.
And for that, we should all be thankful and count them twice when thinking of all the best parts of GRC.
