SYLACAUGA, Ala. – Dr. Todd Freeman, Superintendent of Sylacauga City Schools, recognized Kelley Wassermann at the September board meeting for achieving the School Nutrition Specialist (SNS) national credential from the School Nutrition Association. Wassermann is Director of Child Nutrition / Wellness / Communications at Sylacauga City Schools.
The School Nutrition Specialist credential is the highest level of achievement in Child Nutrition. Alabama schools currently have only twenty people state-wide who have earned this national credential.
Dr. Freeman commended Wassermann for achieving this professional milestone. “Mrs. Wassermann has an exceptional reputation at the state and national levels. She has been acknowledged by her peers as a state director of the year and now serves on the Board of Directors for the Alabama School Nutrition Association. Mrs. Wassermann has established herself as a leader in school nutrition and advocates tirelessly for children to have the most nutritious and best tasting menu offerings possible. This accomplishment is a testament to her commitment to excellence.”
The SNS exam is a four-hour timed test covering a wide range of competencies including federal laws, procurement, nutritional requirements, and food safety, to name a few topics.
Wassermann said, “Preparing for the SNS exam was a rigorous process that I began about a year ago. I spent weekends, vacation time, and school breaks researching the different topics and making my own study guides. “There were even questions about OSHA standards on the test because of occupational safety practices in school kitchens. I had to study construction planning, utilities, equipment, food safety, marketing, formal and informal bidding, and complete numerous statistical accounting problems.
“It was an intense process, and well worth the effort. Even though I have been a Child Nutrition director for fourteen years, I learned a lot and identified areas where we can continue to improve our service to Sylacauga students. It was also gratifying to see that we are on the right track with our approach of compliance with the numerous federal regulations,” she stated.
“I am truly blessed to be part of a great Child Nutrition program here at Sylacauga City Schools,” she went on to say. “Each school staff team is absolutely wonderful. They love their students and they love serving their students. The managers listen to the feedback of their kids and try to create menus they will like. I think it is important for the different staffs to have this flexibility because they see what their students choose to put on their plates every day. We consider our students to be like our own children and want them to be healthy and well fed. I couldn’t ask for a better staff and am very proud to work side by side with them.”
Jeremy Law for SylacaugaNews.com | © 2017, SylacaugaNews.com/Marble City Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.