Feeding Kids with a Positive Attitude: Leslie Harris Named CCSD Child Nutrition Employee of the Year

For Leslie Harris, working as a cook at Sunrise Elementary School is all about keeping the kids happy and fed. She was named the Child Nutrition Employee of the Year for Cache County School District, an honor that Sunrise Principal Shellie Healy feels is well deserved.

Harris has been working at the school for over 6 years, starting back when her youngest child was entering first grade. Her favorite part about her job is interacting with the kids by getting to know their names and talking with them both inside and outside of school. “When I see them at the store, or sometimes at football games, I love being able to say ‘hi,’” Harris explains. “And then they look at you funny, like ‘how do I know you?’”

She believes that having a positive attitude is the best way to approach the challenges of the job, and that teamwork is also a huge part of what keeps things moving in the kitchen. “The people I work with help make my job a lot easier. We work well together and we help each other out,” she says. “When problems come up, working together helps us stay calm so we can do what we need to do to get the kids fed.”

Lunchtime can become pretty chaotic, but Harris stays focused on making the most out of the time that they have. “We don’t see them for very long in here, so we’re just trying to keep them happy and get some food in them,” she adds.

Principal Healy was so excited to present her with the award, saying that her contributions to the school are absolutely essential. “When one of her co-workers took time off to have a baby, the lunchroom didn’t skip a beat. Because Leslie was there,” Healy says. “She’s dependable. She just quietly goes about and figures it all out and gets it all done.”

Outside of work, Harris spends most of her time supporting her children and their various hobbies. “I have a 10th grader and a 7th grader right now, so we’re in marching band, ultimate frisbee, basketball, and baseball. So what I mainly do right now is drive them around and go watch them at their events,” she shared.

Harris is a core part of what makes Sunrise Elementary such a great school, as her work ensures that they get through lunchtime “flawlessly,” as Healy describes.

“The other thing I love about her is that she’s just always happy,” Healy adds. “She does one of the hardest jobs there is to do, and she does it with a smile.”