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Eastside Elementary named Cafeteria of Excellence; Coffee County wins farm-to-school and national recognition
Summary
Eastside Elementary’s cafeteria staff received Georgia’s Cafeteria of Excellence award; Coffee County also received a Georgia Farm to School district award, is a Local Foods for Schools pilot district, and was featured nationally in a school nutrition magazine for hurricane relief partnerships.
Eastside Elementary’s cafeteria staff were recognized by Coffee County Schools on Nov. 21, 2024, after receiving the Georgia Department of Education’s Cafeteria of Excellence award, district presenters told the board.
Dawn Lewis introduced the Eastside staff and said the Cafeteria of Excellence was presented to manager Misty Henderson by State School Superintendent Woods. The award recognizes schools that meet strict criteria, including serving at least 20% Georgia‑grown items in weekly breakfasts and lunches.
According to the presentation, Eastside met or exceeded multiple measures: the school achieved two health inspections with perfect 100 scores last year; its average breakfast participation was 90.1 percent and average lunch participation was 97.8 percent; and the staff incorporated locally grown items such as Coffee County‑grown satsumas, North Georgia apples and Georgia‑grown chicken. The district presenter said only 27 schools out of 2,238 in Georgia received the Cafeteria of Excellence award.
District staff also reported that Coffee County Schools received a Georgia Farm to School district award—one of 47 districts to receive that recognition out of about 180 districts—and is a pilot participant in a Local Foods for Schools grant. The presentation said the district has edible school gardens, procurement language to buy locally sourced food and marketing efforts to build farm‑to‑school connections.
The board heard that Coffee County’s school nutrition work also drew national attention. The presenter said the National School Nutrition Magazine featured the district in a “Feeding Hope” article about the system’s partnership with Representative James Bridgette during hurricane recovery; the presentation credited the partnership and local organizations for providing meals and supplies after the storm.
Presenters thanked several community partners for storm recovery support, including the Forsyth County Rotary Club and a state representative who helped organize meal distributions. District staff said portable classroom units are being installed at George Washington Carver while the building undergoes roof repairs caused by storm damage.
Board members and staff applauded the Eastside staff and the district’s broader nutrition efforts during the meeting.
