Cafeteria Staff

The arrival of Newtown High School’s cafeteria staff marks the start of a logistical cycle that resets every 24 hours. While the hallways are still largely empty, the kitchen team is already orchestrating a multi-stage transition from breakfast service to high-volume lunch prep.

 It is a high-stakes operation governed by a relentless clock, requiring the staff to function as a hybrid of a production line and a frontline support system for the student body.

The workflow is dictated by the lunch "waves", the intense bursts of traffic when hundreds of students enter the cafeteria at once. To maintain the pace, staff members must move fluidly between food preparation, administrative tasks, and point-of-sale stations.

"I come in at 7 o'clock, and usually in the morning, I work in the office," NHS cafeteria front house lead Heather Almeter said. "I do some of the clerical administrative stuff. And today, I'm substituting for somebody who's out. Then, during the lunch waves, I am actually the second cashier."

For many on the team, the work represents a strategic career pivot or a "second act" after years in other industries. One staff member, who joined the team after a career in the private sector, described the role as a departure from the corporate grind.

"I wouldn't say it was something I always wanted to do," cafetorium server Steve said. "This is a retirement job for me. I’ve been into business my whole life, but this is just something fun I'm doing right now. We come in first thing in the morning and prepare breakfast...then we shift our gears into lunch. We serve, we clean up, we come back the next day, do it all over."

While the logistics are rigid, the staff maintains that the social environment is the primary driver of the work. Almeter noted that the student interactions are often the highlight of the shift. "What do I like most? Probably the kids," Almeter said. "[The kids] make your day. Even if you’re having a bad one."

The sentiment is reciprocated by the students who rely on the kitchen not just for food, but for a rare moment of informal interaction during a high-pressure school day.

"They’re the only people in the building who don't want anything from you except to make sure you've eaten,"  NHS junior Clare Csaszar said. "When you're stressed about a big test and they remember your name or your favorite snack, it actually changes the mood of your whole afternoon."

Other NHS students echoed Csaszar’s sentiments.

"People don't realize how much [the kitchen staff] observe. They know who is having a bad week before the teachers do. It’s the most underrated support system we have here. Believe it or not, one of the workers actually knows my order by heart," NHS junior Natalie delCampo said. 

This internal chemistry among the staff is what allows them to manage the heat of the industrial ovens and the high-decibel roar of a packed lunchroom. "Honestly, serving you all is great, you guys are all wonderful," Steve added. "Also, all my coworkers are awesome, we have a great group here and a great time as well.”

As the final lunch wave subsides and the registers are balanced, the operation enters its final phase: "tying up little things and getting everything closed up for the next day," said Almeter. The food is put away and the kitchen is sanitized, completing a cycle of labor that remains the essential, if invisible, foundation of the school’s daily schedule.