School Nutrition Association Announces Regional Award

The national, non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) has named Bonnie Gassett, Cafeteria Manager at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Virginia, the Southeast regional Manager of the Year. The award recognizes the dedication, ingenuity and compassion shown by SNA members who have excelled in keeping students fed during the pandemic.

Bonnie Gassett always goes above and beyond to feed the students in this large school district meals that are appealing and in compliance with regulations. She serves as a role model for other cafeteria managers, inspiring them to think outside the box and streamline operations.
Gassett’s positive attitude, hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed by school administrators, parents and co-workers. She is known for the little things, like showing her appreciation on a daily basis, coordinating team building activities and encouraging staff to write positive notes to others in the school that they do not know. To get her staff out of the kitchen and more visible in the school, she asked them to paint rocks and hide them in the school for students and staff to find.

Knowing it takes teamwork to create a good working environment, Gassett makes sure to recognize the efforts of her staff. She created personalized aprons for team members for School Lunch Hero Day 2021. The school administration also took time to recognize the efforts her team makes every day for the students.

In 2020, she started a menu and delivery service for teachers. Gassett received help from the Special Needs class to assist with delivering lunches to school staff, helping the students with work experience requirements needed for graduation.
Gassett is always open for meetings with students and parents to hear any concerns they may have, which has helped her implement solutions proactively. During the 2020-2021 school year when there were both in-person and virtual learning students, Gassett created an outdoor pickup station for families. For holiday breaks, she created a QR code so families could scan and fill out a form to request food for school break.

Gassett has also spearheaded new initiatives at Landstown High School, including scratch cooking, vending machines with reimbursable lunch meals, and the planning of an outdoor garden.

“Bonnie Gassett serves as a role model for other cafeteria managers. She has proven to have great communication skills and is able to provide excellent customer service in a myriad of circumstances, ” said SNA President Beth Wallace, MBA, SNS.

Bonnie Gassett has held several positions with the School Nutrition Association of Virginia (SNA-VA) She says her involvement in the organization has helped her overcome her fear of public speaking. While president of her local chapter, she was able to triple the membership. Gassett has told co-workers that SNA is a resource they can turn to for support and friendship with others in the school nutrition community.
The Manager of the Year Award is given in honor of Louise Sublette, a leader in school nutrition in her state and in the national School Nutrition Association. During her 43 years in the profession, Sublette worked in many areas of foodservice—public schools, colleges, hospitals and elderly feeding programs. Sublette dedicated her career to honoring school nutrition professionals and ensuring those who work in school cafeterias have access to professional development opportunities, empowering them to help their school meal programs flourish.
Gassett was announced as the Southeast regional Manager of the Year during a School Lunch Hero Day (SLHD) online awards ceremony on May 2. The accomplishments of Gassett and all of this year’s SNA award winners will also be recognized in a special publication and promoted in SNA's annual SLHD social media campaign on Facebook.com/TrayTalk and TrayTalk.org.

About School Nutrition Association:

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.