The national, non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) has named Caitlin Lazarski, MS, RD, SNS, director of School Nutrition for Pine Bush, the Northeast Region Director of the Year. The award recognizes the extraordinary contributions of school nutrition directors who manage effective school meal programs providing healthy, appetizing meals to students.
“I am so excited to have Caitlin here in Pine Bush,” said Assistant Superintendent for Business Joe Lenz. “We’re lucky to have this talented, caring individual lead our school nutrition team. She is innovative, always looking to improve our service to our students. She truly is a star.”
Lazarski came to Pine Bush in October, 2023, Prior to that, she served the Newburgh Enlarged City School district.
Lazarski is known as a champion of school breakfast in New York State. Her implementation of several effective after-the-bell strategies increased student breakfast participation by 30 percent in her district, and her efforts were recognized by several entities, including the New York Governor’s office. Lazarski has assisted other directors with developing alternative breakfast models through training and on-site tours.
She procured grant money totaling over $1,250,000 to further the reach and quality of meals served to students. Lazarski has also directed implementation of the Community Eligibility Provision districtwide in two districts, allowing all students to receive free school meals, and started summer meal and afterschool supper programs. Increased revenues have been used to expand scratch cooking, provide staff training and purchase new equipment.
Working face-to-face with students is another way Lazarski has positively impacted learning experiences. She often can be seen at student council meetings and conducting cafeteria taste tests, and she utilizes student interns to gather program feedback. Lazarski held a contest for student-directed commercials promoting school breakfast and has mentored student interns interested in marketing and promotion professions to create social media posts and reels highlighting meal programs. She also worked with high school design students on a campaign to create a logo for the food service department for use on staff uniforms, cafeteria signs, menus and trucks.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lazarski led a team of dedicated professionals through a curbside meal program that served more than 3 million meals, creating menus that provided bulk fresh produce, local bread and NY state milk to families.
“Caitlin is committed to supporting professional development to benefit programs and the students they serve, and she is a champion of providing equitable access to school meals for all students,” said Chris Derico, SNS, School Nutrition Association President. “She frequently meets with local legislators at the schools so they can witness firsthand how important meal programs are to the success and growth of students.”
Lazarski is a current a member of SNA’s Professional Development Committee and she previously served as the state association president and sat on their board of directors. She actively recruits staff and new directors to the association and encourages participation for career growth.
Lazarski invites neighboring districts to staff training at the beginning of the school year, hosting more than 300 for day-long training to include keynote speaker, networking and professional development opportunities as well as a lunch to show appreciation for frontline staff. She also supervises dietetic interns completing their school nutrition rotation and ensures they can experience all the benefits of being a registered dietitian in school nutrition.
The Director of the Year Award was created to recognize school nutrition directors who exhibit an extraordinary commitment to their school meal programs. The directors are responsible for maintaining the quality of the program through student interaction, menu planning and a commitment to serving nutritious, tasty and well-balanced school meals. Through effective oversight of all aspects of food service operations, including budgeting, staffing, training, marketing and community outreach, school nutrition directors ensure the overall success of school meal programs.
The accomplishments of Lazarski 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.
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.