The Lunch Program: A 3 Part Series

October 8, 2021

Uncategorized

GNS

For sure, the new lunch program has done nothing but generate excitement and passionate discussions, whether it was whispers that there would be an endless supply of fresh sushi or the trading of the collectable caps from the fancy bottled fruit drinks.

“Well, for a long time, we’ve wanted to offer a lunch program where we could have foods that were fresher… and be more nutritious,” says Ms. Myki Engelland, GNS’ Lunch Program Coordinator. “So we thought about it for a long time, that we wanted to offer a more exciting lunch program.”

From the beginning, students were the focus of this program, but staff have also shown lots of interest. During break times, there are rumours that teachers, such as Ms. Simpson and Nurse Susan, can be seen running down to the Dining Hall to grab a snack or buy lunch or maybe just pick something different to eat from what they packed. Apparently, this was all part of the plan and the warm reception given by GNS staff to the new lunch program is greatly appreciated, “And I love the fact that the staff’s using it a lot,” smiles Ms. Engelland.

The lunch program isn’t just for lunch. There are a variety of fresh grab-and-go snacks, such as pudding, snack boxes, sandwiches, and the M&M cookies are definitely recommended. For the Gryphon House international boarding students, the new lunch program serves breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner. With a simple swipe of their ID cards, students have the ability to come by the Dining Hall anytime and pick up a snack before returning to their studies, provided that there is money allocated into their school accounts. If parents have any questions regarding account set-ups, visit BlackBaud and under Resources, there is the Lunch Program tab, complete with the fork and knife icon.

For the main entrees, there is a selection of meals, and each week a new weekly menu is sent out, which includes vegetarian options and restaurant-level entrees. This week, the Beef Teriyaki was a favourite among many, and was on the menu for Monday, October 4, providing a much needed satisfactory start to the week. Who wouldn’t want freshly prepared and high-quality Beef Teriyaki on a Monday?

During the interview, Ms. Engelland contemplates the origins of the fantastic lunch program. “So combined with the inspiration, or the dream of always wanting to have a more exciting lunch program and the boarding house becoming a reality, we then decided to get a dining services provider and renovate our kitchens, and start doing things in house!”

“I hope that it would be popular, if equally, if not more popular than I had imagined”, says Ms. Engelland. The lunch program has been wildly popular, and both students and staff would agree. It is expected that the lunch program’s popularity will only increase, as November will bring along a cooler of sushi, prepared by an in house sushi chef.

Stay tuned for next week’s article: “The Lunch Program Chef: Chef Matt Macdonald.”