Shopper Blog: Cafeteria staff at PES takes the pumpkin prize
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POWELL
Cafeteria staff at PES takes the pumpkin prize
Al Lesar, Shopper News
Two minutes before the entry deadline, Danyel Rhode was still fussing with the photo that had to be submitted.
The Powell Elementary School cafeteria manager had bigger fish to fry, so to speak. Short-staffed for several days, entering the Great Pumpkin Contest sponsored by Knox County Schools' Nutrition Department simply got put on the back burner.
In those final minutes, the heat got turned up on the Bubble Blowing Breakfast Boy.
Just in time.
The Powell Elementary submission − a small male mannequin outfitted in overalls and a white shirt with a pumpkin head, a pink balloon hiding the nose and googly eyes with a cap on top − was cute enough to draw plenty of attention. The creation was sliding a tray of breakfast foods, of course.
“When the contest was announced, we looked online for some possibilities,” said Rhode, in her fifth year of running the cafeteria. “Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum had something similar and we loved it.”
The Powell Elementary entry got some positive reviews in the contest that included every cafeteria in every school in the corporation. Winners were determined by online votes received.
“With a few days left, we were in third,” Rhode said. “I sent a message out to 230 of my friends and family. Some of the other staff also did that. We were shocked, we jumped from third to first.”
Crunch time success
Powell Elementary’s cafeteria is no stranger to the winner’s circle. Two years ago, Rhode and her staff of five came up with a pumpkin that had huge cat-like eyes.
Rhode said staff member Tana Self came up with that idea.
“Tana’s our creative spark,” Rhode said. “I remember we got our pumpkin late that year and had to do it in a hurry.”
Crunch time deadlines are what Rhode and her staff do best. Every day they feed 700 children (200 at breakfast, 500 at lunch) and still are able to smile at the end of the day.
“We’ve got a great group that makes it work,” Rhode said. “We’ve always worked well together. When someone comes (usually from the high school) to fill in for a day or two, they always go away saying how smoothly things run.”
Nachos are messy, good
Rhode said she loves to hear her staff laughing and “cackling like hens,” as she calls it.
“That just shows we’re getting along,” she said. “We’re a small family. We’re together a lot. That’s how we’re able to function so well.”
She said the group enjoys getting in the spirit of things. For Halloween, they adopted a “Wizard of Oz” theme. Rhode was Dorothy; there were the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion and the good and bad witches.
Those characters can put out a pretty good spread when they put their mind to it. Rhode said the most popular item on the menu is the order of nachos − but it’s also the messiest.
“You’ve gotta put the chips in the container, then the meat and the cheese,” she said. “It tastes good, but it isn’t easy.”
Then there are the staples of pizza, cheese sticks and chicken nuggets.
“The kids are our focus,” Rhode said. “That’s who we’re there for.”
The camaraderie just helps make it work.
NORTH KNOXVILLE
Lisa New, transformative leader of Zoo Knoxville, is heading to Dallas Zoo
Shopper News
Lisa New, Zoo Knoxville's amazing leader for the past 10 years, has been named chief executive officer of the Dallas Zoo. She will assume the new position Jan. 15, 2024, as the first female leader in that zoo’s 135-year history.
“Lisa New has been an amazing leader for Zoo Knoxville, helping us become a national leader in conservation and education, not to mention one of biggest attractions in our community,” Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said in a statement. “I wish Lisa well as she moves on to a new city and thank her for the legacy she’s leaving behind.”
Under New’s leadership, Zoo Knoxville undertook a $39 million capital campaign and the largest construction projects in the zoo’s history. Boyd Family Asian Trek and Clayton Family Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Campus (ARC) have received multiple awards.
“Lisa has been a visionary leader who changed the trajectory for Zoo Knoxville,” said Russ Watkins, incoming chair of the Zoo Knoxville Board of Directors. “Over the last 10 years, she has successfully executed an ambitious plan that transformed our zoo. From the time she took the helm in 2013, our attendance has increased by 52 percent and our revenue has grown by 105 percent. She has laid a foundation that will ensure we continue to thrive, and she should be very proud of her legacy here in Knoxville.”
Though New’s story is spectacular – from her beginnings as a researcher, to volunteer, to staff member, leader, executive director and most recently board chairman for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) – her heart, as always, is with the conservation and care of animals.
“Zoos are arguably the largest wildlife conservation movement in the world,” she told the Shopper News in 2019. “We have more attendees across our accredited institutions than all professional sporting events combined in the United States. So we have the opportunity to tell our message.
“Number one, we are incredible animal care specialists, and the animals that live in zoos and aquariums, for the most part, thrive. People who come to the zoo are a discerning public with access to all kinds of information – including information from our detractors – and they want to know more. They love animals. So they want to know that the animals they’re coming to see are being properly cared for.
“Secondly, we do significant work on saving animals in the wild, and when our public learns about that, then it is a double feel-good for coming to the zoo. They know that the animals that they see are being cared for, and they know that we’re part of something bigger. We find that they especially don’t know that second part.”
“Even people who on the surface don’t like to think of animals in confined spaces will change their feelings when they know that this is all part of the bigger program,” New said. “It’s not about entertainment. We are a wonderful, educational, fun place to visit, but there’s a focus behind what we do. It all goes back to supporting our mission, which is to inspire action and save wildlife and wild places.”
Like all of the 233 U.S. zoos accredited by the AZA, Zoo Knoxville is held to rigorous standards. New said, “we’ve been accredited since since 1984. Every five years is a new accreditation cycle. The bar continually raises, and we are consistently re-accredited every five years.”
New “completely re-energized the culture around here,” said Tina Rolen, Zoo Knoxville director of marketing and communications. “She’s a force of nature.”
SOUTH KNOXVILLE
Veterans cemetery earns salute for excellence, visit by governor
Zach Thomas, Shopper News
Gov. Bill Lee visited the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery off John Sevier Highway on Nov. 29 to honor the staff for its recent Operational Excellence Award from the Veterans Administration and National Cemetery Administration.
Both veterans’ cemeteries in Knoxville, received the award, the result of an outstanding performance during the triennial compliance review conducted in March 2023.
The governor, accompanied by Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Cameron Sexton, was greeted upon his arrival by the East Tennessee Veterans Honor Guard and veterans from each branch of the military.
Lee started off by recognizing the members of the Tennessee Veterans Honor Guard: “Thank you all for volunteering and doing what you do. You have helped create a satisfaction level so that our cemetery here is rewarded nationally. But more importantly, it has served to bring appropriate honor, and that’s a great service to Tennessee.”
The staff and groundskeepers of both the John Sevier and Lyons View veterans cemeteries were also recognized for their work in maintaining the facilities. The award came after rigorous inspections, ensuring that every detail, from headstone dimensions to cleanliness and the services provided, met the highest standards.
Major Gen. Tommy H. Baker, the commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Veteran Services (TDVS), highlighted the significant progress made in the last two budget cycles, allowing the veterans cemetery facilities to hire eight new employees. “This expansion was a testament to the state's commitment to maintaining the grounds of these facilities across Tennessee.” Baker emphasized the three core initiatives of the TDVS: to advocate, inform, and inspire.
Lee, in his speech to the staff and veterans, drew on his personal experiences and spoke about his time working at Lee Co. “Pulling up here today was a great reminder to me of my time working in plumbing, heating, and cooling where I consistently reminded our employees that their work transcended mere job duties; it had a profound impact on people's lives. In those instances, sometimes lives depended on the services provided.
“You as a staff here are providing a service greater than just your duties. Your work is important, and it honors the sacrifices made by veterans that afforded us the freedoms we all enjoy. Your work transcends your normal job duties.”
The ceremony also introduced the governor to Ashley Manning, an administrative assistant for veterans services, who received The Governor’s Excellence in Service Awards earlier in the year. Manning is a Navy veteran with six years of service before moving to Knoxville.
Kevin Knowles, the cemetery director, expressed pride in the fact that Tennessee is the only state with multiple veterans’ cemeteries that have received the Operational Excellence award. He conveyed hope that their Memphis location would undergo the same inspections, securing the award in the future.
“This really is a collaborative effort among the support staff at each cemetery, and I want to thank Gov. Lee and Speaker Sexton for stopping by today and showing their support and appreciation to our staff for all the hard work they day each day,” Knowles said.
The governor's and speaker's visit to the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery was preceded by a tour of the Emerald Academy of Knoxville, where they briefly spoke to some media about Lee's proposal to expand Tennessee's school voucher program.
OPINION
Tree timing goes from practical to meaningful
Leslie Snow, Shopper News
It always seemed like a matter of convenience and timing. Every year, when our children were in college or living in another city, we would squeeze in a trip to the local garden center during the long Thanksgiving weekend to pick out a Christmas tree.
It made sense to do it then because the kids wouldn’t be back in town until the next month when they were off for winter break or coming in for Christmas.
But this year, with all the kids living in town, I didn’t see any reason to fit one more activity into an already hectic weekend. So, when Ethan asked about picking out a tree, I said, casually, “Let’s find some time in early December.” And I didn’t give it another thought until his wife, Amanda, texted a few days later.
“Hey!” she wrote, “are we getting a tree over Thanksgiving weekend?” I repeated the line I’d given to Ethan a few days earlier and added, “We always picked out the tree over the holiday weekend because that’s when everybody was in town. But now, we can do it whenever we want!”
I made it sound like a good thing. And I thought the matter was settled until Zack called a few hours later.
“Are we getting a tree over Thanksgiving?” he asked, eagerly. I started to explain all the practical reasons we didn’t need to get a tree so early, but stopped myself. “Let me talk to your dad,” I replied instead.
That night, I asked my husband if he planned on getting a tree over the long Thanksgiving weekend. He seemed surprised by the question. “Of course!” he answered. “All the kids have texted me about it. They want to go on Sunday and then come back to have dinner and hang ornaments together. Simon wants to put up the star, but I’m worried that Clara might be upset.”
Somehow, I had missed a tradition in the making. I had viewed putting up a tree on a particular weekend each year as something we did because it was convenient. It made sense. It was practical from a timing standpoint. But while I was being sensible, my family was finding meaning.
It was convenient to put up a tree and decorate it while everyone was in town, but over the years, it had clearly become more than that. For our Jewish children, it had become a festive tradition meant to honor their father’s faith. It had become a time to gather, to put on holiday music, and to laugh at all the silly ornaments we’ve collected or made over the years. It was a time for us to be together that everyone looked forward to, including me, even if I didn’t think the timing really mattered.
Family traditions are important, but maybe I didn’t realize how much my children needed this one. I didn’t know how much they treasured our ridiculous ornaments, our Chanukah lights, and our crooked tree topper.
I made a big pot of soup and put on Christmas music the night we put up our tree.
Clara got to hang a favorite ornament we call “door face,” and Simon got to place the star on top. Two-year-old Elliott, who dropped a couple of ornaments, chimed in, “I big too!”
I guess we’ll have to find a special role for him next year. When we pick out a tree, right after Thanksgiving, just like we always do.
Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.
Knoxville Democrats aiming for Tennessee House seats in 2024 | Victor Ashe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Shopper News brings you the latest happenings in your community