Tewksbury Woman Receives Regional School Nutrition Award

The national, non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) has named Sandra Hillson from Lincoln School, Lincoln, MA, the Northeast regional Manager of the Year. 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. Hillson is a resident of Tewksbury, MA.

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. 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 attends several professional development presentations and trainings throughout the year and encourages her staff to become SNA members and SNA certified. She wants staff to take pride in their work and have others recognize their professionalism as well. Hillson takes the time to train staff on daily paperwork and production sheets so they are 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, SNS. “She goes above and beyond her duties, advocating for children’s health and constantly seeking out additional opportunities for professional development.”

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.

On July 14, 2019, Hillson will be honored during the Red Carpet Awards Ceremony at the School Nutrition Association’s 73rd Annual National Conference in St. Louis, MO.

About School Nutrition Association:

The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing 58,000 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.