Among the many clubs that meet at Nixa High School, the School Nutrition Advisory Committee SNAC is unique in how it allows students to make an impact at school. SNAC gives students an important role in deciding which foods are ordered for the school cafeteria by allowing them the chance to try new items before they are ordered.
Sophomore counselor Jenney Myler and NHS kitchen manager Kari Smith work together to run the club.
“It’s a way to get students involved who participate in the meal program in the cafeteria,” Smith said. “So we bring in new products, we let them taste so they get to eat food … [and] give us their feedback of what’s good.”
There are many factors in determining what is put onto students’ plates. Government mandates and nutrition guidelines are important, but a large piece of information in this decision-making process are students’ opinions. The students and sponsors of SNAC work to provide this by taste-testing new foods the kitchen staff is considering bringing to the cafeteria.
“Students who eat the food, they have more of a say than what they realize they do,” Smith said. “If we know that they’re not going to eat it, we don’t want to offer it… – It really impacts what we provide in the kitchen because we don’t want to provide something that the students aren’t going to eat”
Student input is a driving force in SNAC and its meetings are conducted to reflect that by putting student voices at the forefront. Students are encouraged at meetings to give their true opinions on the foods they taste, as well as to step into more leadership roles such as designing the club T-shirts.
Beyond trying foods for the cafeteria, SNAC is involved at the school in other important ways. They help kitchen staff serve at various luncheons and events.
“When we have, … Veterans Day for example and Christmas luncheons for teachers, we also help make food and if they cater food, we help distribute food and that’s been really fun,” senior club member Junyoung Choi said.
SNAC serves as an opportunity for the students and staff to forge connections with one another. Each meeting provides time for the students and staff to speak with each other and create bonds between demographics who tend to interact only occasionally.
“It’s a great involvement for us in the kitchen because we don’t get to see you students every day,” Smith said. “It’s nice to get to know the kids on a different level,”
SNAC gives students a chance to interact with their community as well.
“I love having that connection too between the kitchen and the students and even the staff with the different events, and the community with Veteran’s Day too,” Myler said.
The students of SNAC see the impact of their choices in the cafeteria at breakfast and lunch.
“I think all the kids there are generally passionate students and they like to do things, especially with our input with food they like to give feedback and be very involved,” Choi said.
