Sandra Hillson
Sandra Hillson of the Lincoln School has been named Northeast Regional Manager of the Year by the national nonprofit School Nutrition Association (SNA). Considered the highest honor a school nutrition manager can earn, the award recognizes a cafeteria manager who has demonstrated dedication and ingenuity to improve his or her school meal program.
A seasoned cafeteria manager, Sandra Hillson takes great pride in her staff’s ability to prepare healthy and appetizing school meals from scratch. Working in a small one-oven kitchen, Hillson excels in time management and menu preparation and is known for collaborating with staff to develop new recipes and present healthy food options in a way that students will be encouraged to try, the SNA says. She utilizes foods grown seasonally in school gardens and locally sourced produce from area farms as part of Lincoln school district’s Farm to School program. Hillson was instrumental in organizing a recent collaboration with local apple and peach growers.
Hillson is well versed in catering to specific dietary restrictions, even working with students who might have aversions to certain appearances or food textures. She and her staff have developed special menus to accommodate students with allergies, cultural dietary restrictions and more to ensure all students feel welcome in her cafeteria.
School nutrition professional development and education is important to Hillson, who is Serve Safe certified, CPR certified and Allergen Aware certified. She takes the time to train staff on daily paperwork and production sheets so they’re aware of the work done behind the scenes as well as their own responsibilities. She ensures that all staff complete the district’s annual mandated training and steps in during training days so that her staff can attend Epi-Pen, Heimlich maneuver, fire safety, and school lockdown training.
“Sandra Hillson’s dedication to her students’ safety, health, and satisfaction is an example to all in the school nutrition field,” said SNA President Gay Anderson. “She goes above and beyond her duties, advocating for children’s health and constantly seeking out additional opportunities for professional development.”
Hillson will be honored at the School Nutrition Association’s annual national conference in St. Louis in July.