SNA Awards

SNA Awards Program

Through the SNA Awards Program, SNA celebrates and recognizes every-day heroes: school nutrition professionals who work every day to ensure well-nourished students across the country are prepared for success!  The SNA Awards Program has been revamped and now features easy-to-understand names, new prizes, streamline rules, and for the  first time ever, you can now nominate a deserving colleague online.  Awards include:

2020-2021 Missouri SNA State Employee of the Year, Rosie Curliss

Congratulations to Roseann (Rosie) Curliss with Lee’s Summit R-7 school district who was awarded the 2020-2021 MSNA State Employee of the Year!
Rosie was nominated by a fellow food service associate. Some of the statements made by her fellow associate were “When COVID closed our district’s doors in March, 2020 volunteers were asked to work for our Emergency Feeding Operation. The decision was quick and even with the risks involved, she was one of the first to step up and want to work. She was always concerned about the parents that were essential workers and had students at home alone learning virtually so Rosie would work a split shift She would work our 12 – 1 pm pick up and come back from 5 – 6 pm to ensure all families could receive meals for our students.”
“During “normal” times, Rosie will always fill in at schools that may be short staffed. She fits right in at any kitchen and gets along well with all staff. In her own cafeteria Rosie calls the students by their names and strikes up a conversation with each one. When she isn’t in her own cafeteria, she still talks with the students, calls them by name when she cashiers. That individual attention makes the student feel special.”
Rosie will be recognized at the MSNA Annual Conference held on November 19, 20, and 21 at the Holiday Inn KCI and KCI Expo Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
2020-2021 Missouri SNA State Manager of the Year, Janet Grube
Congratulations to Janet Grube with Lee’s Summit R-7 school district who was awarded the 2020-2021 MSNA State Manager of the Year!
Janet was nominated by a fellow food service associate. Some of the statements made by her fellow associate were “Janet came into a kitchen that was divided and worked to pull staff together into a happy, hardworking team. She gained the respect of the kitchen staff, building staff, the principal, and parents. Janet has even pulled the cafeteria staff in with the building staff and they are treated like they belong to the building now. Janet’s compassion for people and the students has aided in her endeavors. She truly cares for everyone and it shows in her daily work and interactions with anyone she comes in contact with. Her positivity shines and now we have a model cafeteria.”
“Janet recently won the district’s “Learning for Life Award” for the month of February. She was nominated by parents she served during curbside during our Emergency Meal Service. She would make notes for the students and place them in their bags. One student was celebrating his birthday and she remembered and made a poster for him and got him a small gift. He wasn’t able to have a party due to COVID and his mom said that small gesture made such a big difference in his life. Her curbside site was popular.”
“Janet takes the time to decorate for special events and seasons. She encourages her staff to dress up for different special days. Staff have fun and it shows. The students love coming to the cafeteria which is always decorated and inviting. Janet takes pride in her self-serve bar and it always looks so fresh, bright, and appetizing. She has increased her participation since she has come to her own location. Parents have been so happy to see the improvements she has made and the fact their students want to eat lunch with us.”
Janet will be recognized at the MSNA 2021 Annual Conference on November 19, 20, & 21, 2021 at Holiday Inn KCI & Expo Center in Kansas City, MO.

2020-2021 Missouri SNA State Director of the Year, Lori Danella

Congratulations to Lori Danella with Lee’s Summit R-7 school district who was awarded the 2020-2021 MSNA State Director of the Year!
Lori was nominated by a fellow food service associate. Some of the statements made by her fellow associate were “Lori has demonstrated that she is an effective leader through her budget management, especially in the times of COVID-19. WE have been able to maintain a positive fund balance even through school closures and less meals served. She has been able to keep our warehouse stocked even though there have been food shortages.”
“Lori is a phenomenal leader for our school district. She works tirelessly to make sure that our staff feel appreciated through small gifts and gestures. She has a positive relationship with all the district administration. Lori also makes sure that we all know that our goal is to make sure all kids in our school district feel cared for and are well fed. It is her mission to provide and inclusive and welcoming environment for all who enter our kitchens.”
“Lori was nominated and won an award through a foundation in our city (Lee’s Summit) for her leadership during the COVID-19 Pandemic. She has been a champion for our staff, making sure that they all had jobs and were able to get paid while schools are closed. We feel so fortunate to have her as our leader and voice to the (school) Board of Education in our district. Lori fights for her staff and to make sure that we are all heard and feel included in all district decisions relating to staffing.”
Lori will be recognized at the MSNA 2021 Annual Conference on November 19, 20, & 21, 2021 at Holiday Inn KCI & Expo Center in Kansas City, MO.

Nominations are due online by March 1.  Find out more and nominate someone you know at schoolnutrition.org/Membership/AwardsScholarships/.

3% Participation Increase

Due to continued Covid-19 restrictions for the 2020-2021 school year, use the months September 2020 through May 2021 to do the calculations.  The submission date has been extended to July 1, 2021.

Download the 2020-2021 3% Breakfast Award revised form and the 2020-2021 3% Lunch Award revised form using these links.

Star Club

Learn more about the Star Club and credit accumulation.

Scholarships

The 2021 Equipment Grants Application(s) opens on October 1, 2020. Eligible applicants have the opportunity to win one of four grants, each worth between $20,000 to $65,000 of equipment. These grants are the Winston Equipment Grant, the Vulcan Equipment Grant, the Hobart Equipment Grant and the Collection Grant (comprised of donations made by multiple equipment companies). Applications and photos must be submitted by a school nutrition director. The recipients will be notified in late-March. This year, only finalists will be asked to submit a 2-3-minute video.

Learn more and download applications.

Achieve your educational dreams with an education scholarship from the School Nutrition Foundation! Professional Development Scholarships provide SNA members with funding for tuition and books for the following school year.

The following scholarships are available. Individuals may be awarded more than one scholarship.

Schwan’s Food Service Scholarship:

Since 1983, Schwan’s Food Service, Inc., has made an annual donation to offer multiple scholarships of up to $2,500 each.

Nancy Curry Scholarship:

The Nancy Curry Scholarship is funded by Handgards, Inc., and friends of Nancy. One scholarship of $500 is awarded each year.

Who Can Apply?

  • The applicant must be an active member for a minimum of one year from January 1, 2020, with the School Nutrition Association (SNA) and have a history of employment in school foodservice. If you need to confirm the SNA membership, please call 1-800-877-8822.
  • Currently employed in school foodservice as an operator/state agency (Industry and student members are not eligible)
  • Enrolled (or will be enrolled) in a degree or certificate program at a vocational/technical, undergraduate, graduate or post-graduate level in the United States in a program of study which falls into one or more of the USDA Professional Standards subject areas.

Please note that children of SNA members are no longer eligible to apply for scholarships. To confirm your SNA membership status, please call (800) 877-8822.

How Can I Apply?

The 2021 Professional Development Scholarships Common Application opens October 1, 2020. Follow this link to apply for the 2021 SNF Common Application. The deadline for the SNF Common application is January 31, 2021, at 11:59 pm EST. We will announce the recipients in May of 2021.

DUE TO CONTINUED COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS FOR 2020-2021, THESE LINKS HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT CURRENT INFORMATION.  PLEASE CONTINUE TO CHECK BACK PERIODICALLY FOR UPDATES.  WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY CONFUSION.

The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) offers the following scholarship opportunities to SNA members:

Josephine Martin National Policy Fellow:

Dr. Josephine Martin is a pioneer in the field of child nutrition. Launching her career at the Georgia Department of Education in 1950 as the assistant school lunch director, she soon became a vocal advocate for child nutrition, influencing legislation on the community, state and federal levels.

  • Awards up to $3,000 to one selected fellow to attend and be recognized at SNA’s Legislative Action Conference, helping to defray travel expenses.
  • Eligibility: Be an active SNA employee or manager section member, who has been a SNA member for at least three years, as of LAC 2020 (since no later than April 1, 2017); have never previously attended LAC; and have an interest in child nutrition policy.

The 2020 Josephine Martin National Policy Fellowship scholarship application is now closed. The winner will be notified by December 2nd, 2019. SNA’s Legislative Action Conference (LAC) is in Washington, D.C. on March 8-10, 2020.

SNA Conference Scholarships:

In an ongoing effort to help its members develop professionally, SNA donates funds to SNF to award scholarships to help members attend SNA’s School Nutrition Industry Conference (SNIC), Legislative Action Conference (LAC), and Annual National Conference (ANC). These scholarships award $1,000 each to help defray the cost of attending a conference.

  • 6 for LAC 2020 (3 of the scholarships will be for First Timers only)
  • 6 for ANC 2020 (3 of the scholarships will be for First Timers only)
  • 6 for SNIC 2020 (3 of the scholarships will be for First Timers only)

Eligibility: 

  • Current School Nutrition Employee, Manager or Director members
  • Current SNA member and member of SNA for at least 2 years
  • State Agency and Industry members are not eligible
  • Only one scholarship per school district, per conference
  • Only one scholarship per individual, per school year

The 2020 School Nutrition Industry Conference (SNIC) and Legislative Action Conference (LAC) scholarship applications are now closed. The SNIC winners will be notified by mid-December and the LAC winners will be notified by mid-January.

ANC First-Timer Scholarships:

The ANC First-Timer Scholarship is made possible through a generous donation from AccuTemp Products. These scholarships are awarded to SNA members (employees and managers) who have never attended SNA’s Annual National Conference (ANC) The $500 scholarship may be used to cover registration and travel expenses associated with attending ANC. Twenty (20) – $500 scholarships are available.

Eligibility:

There is no formal application – You must be nominated to be considered for a scholarship. District directors, who are active SNA members and are registered to attend ANC 2020, may nominate one member of their staff for this scholarship. The staff member must be an active SNA member in the employee or manager category who has never attended SNA’s ANC.

Nominations:

Directors may not nominate more than one staff member for this scholarship. After registering for ANC, the district director can submit a nomination online. Awards are made on a first-come, first-served basis, so the sooner you submit a nomination, the better chance there is of receiving a scholarship.  Awards are made on a first-come, first served basis.  Nominations open when ANC 2020 registration opens and closes when we reach 20 eligible nominees.

Before completing the nomination, please have the following information available:

  • Your contact information
  • Your ANC registration and proof of payment
  • The Application for the ANC First-Timer Scholarship is now closed. The recipients will be notified in early May 2020.

Check back in February for the 2020 ANC First-Timers scholarship application to open.

This $1000 scholarship opportunity provides current MSNA members the opportunity to attend the SNA Annual National Conference in Chicago, IL from July 11-13, 2021.

Deadline to apply is April 15, 2021

Scholarship awarded June 1, 2021

For scholarship application, CLICK HERE!

For supervisor approval form, CLICK HERE!

Our first Missouri Scholarship for School Food Service employees and/or their children was named after Earl Langkop.  He is believed to the the first State Director of Food Services in Missouri.  He started the job July 1, 1948 and retired March 31, 1975.  Mr. Langkop was found to be truly concerned with the quality of meals served in Missouri Schools.  The scholarship fund that bears his name was started to honor him at the time of his retirement.  He died about a year after his retirement.

Please click here for the Earl Langkop Scholarship Application.

David R. Page was the Director of Food Services in St. Louis and instrumental in starting the Missouri School Food Service Association in 1954.  Mr. Page served as President of the association in 1965-66.  He also served as President of ASFSA and was involved in that association.  Mr. Page was a strong proponent of staff development and continuing education.  Thus, when he died suddenly, the food service and school personnel of St. Louis set up a scholarship fund through Missouri School Nutrition Association, formerly MSFSA for the further development of current school food service personnel through tuition payment and registration fees related to continuing education activities. MSNA, formerly MSFSA is also authorized to utilize this fund for statewide professional development programs, but has been fortunate not to have to utilize it for that purpose, leaving it to benefit individuals.

Click here for the David R. Page Scholarship Application

To: All Missouri School Nutrition Association (MSNA) members

From: MSNA Board of Directors

Subject: Pursuing Excellence in Child Nutrition Scholarship

Date: October 1, 2019

The Missouri School Nutrition Association Pursuing Excellence in Child Nutrition scholarship program for MSNA members wishing to become Certified and/or Credentialed:

SNA’s Certification Program is based on the standards of practice and indicators in the Keys to Excellence in School Food and Nutrition Programs that define nationally accepted standards for quality programs. MSNA encourages every member to become nationally Certified and/or Credentialed through the SNA professional development program. To help make it possible, MSNA will reimburse every member for the first year application fee associated with the level of Certification/Credentialing, along with the exam fee for Credentialing.

Certification: All Levels

Any MSNA member pursuing SNA Certification can apply for reimbursement for the application fees ($18-$33). After successfully achieving any new level of Certification, MSNA members can also apply for reimbursement for the application fee associated with advancing to a new level ($21-$33).

Credentialing:

MSNA members wishing to become Credentialed will be reimbursed for the testing fees ($225) when they successfully pass the examination. In addition, newly Credentialed members will be eligible to receive reimbursement for their first year dues ($70).

Go to the SNA website https://schoolnutrition.org/ and click on the Education and Professional Development tab for complete eligibility requirements.

For MSNA Certification/Credentialing Reimbursement Request Form, Click HERE!