How to get valuable, real input on food from high school students

When renovations were being planned for Akron (N.Y.) School District’s high school cafeteria, Barb Goodman, director of foodservices, and Stephen Dimitroff, director of athletics/assistant principal, decided the time was right to make some improvements to the overall experience, including the food, and “who better to ask than the student population?” Goodman says. But where to start? The two plotted an approach that would open up communication and boost participation. They took the time to chat with FM about how they made it happen.

Q: What is your district like?

A: Goodman: There are about 1,500 students and socioeconomically, it’s a very diverse district. We’re more than 30 percent free and reduced. We’re a high-performing district academically, and we embrace the diversity of the kids. A priority is providing an inviting atmosphere.

Barb Goodman and Stephen Dimitroff enjoy a school lunch with a student.

Q: How did you start the process of gathering feedback?

A: Goodman: We decided to do a survey, but we didn’t do it willy-nilly. We did it online. [Students] all have laptop computers and they could do it using their cellphones as well. They were given time during lunch periods to take the survey, and about three-quarters of the 470 students in the high school participated. Being able to compile the answers electronically meant less work.

Q: How did you know which questions to ask?

A: Dimitroff: It was all encompassing. We asked how often they bought lunch. We know we’ve captured free and reduced, but we need to capture sales as well. We asked questions about the atmosphere; are the staff friendly? And questions on the quality and value of food, and then food-specific questions, like “What’s your favorite items on the menu?”

Q: Was there a clear favorite?

A: Dimitroff: We have 20 different days on our menu cycle and there were 20 different favorites, so we had a difficult time narrowing it down to just one or two favorites.

Q: What else did you learn from the survey?

A: Dimitroff: They wanted more ethnic foods. They especially want Chinese food. And they wanted to see portion sizes increased. They weren’t feeling, as high school students, that they were getting enough to eat. So we looked at it nutritionally, and it was sound, but we could do more in some cases.

Q: And then you talked to the students on a more one-on-one basis?

A: Dimitroff: We have high school classes called Junior Seminar and Freshman Seminar, where we help freshmen cope with the academic, social and mental health issues of high school. We ask juniors for feedback on how to make their experience better. Both freshmen and juniors can give us feedback in what’s great about our school and what’s not great. One avenue is foodservice; we asked both groups what are some good things and what are some things you’d want to change?

Q: So the seminars became sort of town halls?

A: Goodman: Yes, these town halls were small groups and hands-on. It was a remarkable experience for me, because it gave me the opportunity to speak with them one on one in an arena where they didn’t feel threatened. They weren’t in the lunch line and my staff wasn’t there, so it wasn’t a confrontation at all. It built a sense of trust, because we did take suggestions and acted on what we could right away, like adding flavored milk.

Dimitroff: It was interesting to see because sometimes when you ask students for feedback, they’ll tell you, and you’ll just say, “I’ll look into it,” or “That’s interesting,” but this time it actually happened. Barb said, “OK, we can do that,” and they said, “Really?”

Q: So there was a dual purpose to getting feedback, right? It wasn’t just one-sided?

A: Goodman: We wanted to give them the opportunity to voice what they wanted, but we also wanted to allow a forum that would help them understand things we couldn’t provide, and why. We spoke about the program and what the school lunch and breakfast programs are. They really didn’t know about regulations or that we’re self-sustaining and that cash flow has to come through the register. We take for granted sometimes that everyone knows that.

Dimitroff: I’ve been an administrator for 15 years now in three different districts, and I still don’t understand all the nuances of what goes into a food program; how the government is involved and what the regulations are. So this was a professional development experience for me on the “why” of what we do.

Q: What were some things that surprised you from a principal’s standpoint?

A: Dimitroff: I didn’t know how the nutritional components fit in with the ordering and preordering and looking at trends and what kids like and what they don’t like and having to see a year in advance as the regulations change. As a principal, you just hear the kids say the food is not good. Why can’t it be like fast food restaurants? So that’s why it was great for Barb to come in and talk to them.

Q: What are some changes that have happened already as a result of this project?

A: Goodman: We now have a wonderful salad bar that’s self-contained. They wanted more fruits and vegetable varieties. Believe it or not, they asked for mangos. It’s not something we can do often, but we did try it. Some things are tough, but my staff is creative. The students also asked for a better quality chicken product; more white meat in filets and nuggets. We did it; we did increase the price to reflect this by 10 cents, but we haven’t had any complaints.

Q: And a new opportunity for the foodservice program came about, too?

A: Goodman: The other thing we implemented last year is food for the end-of-day extra period/sports study hall. There are kids who do homework in the cafeteria and they have afterschool activities so they may not get home until 6. So, according to guidelines, we started to sell hot and cold items to students after school, like chicken fingers, pizza, drinks, yogurt, salads, fresh fruit and trail mix.

Q: What have you learned overall, and what’s on deck for the coming year?

A: Dimitroff: The bottom line is that we have followed up. It wasn’t a one-time occurrence; we’ve followed up with their suggestions, and they came to us with viable suggestions that were doable. Going forward, we’re doing more town halls starting in November. Because of the success of this program, we’re going to be doing a survey in the middle school as well.