Student-Driven Dining Brings Agency, Increases Participation In Woodridge

WOODRIDGE, IL — At the start of the school year, Woodridge School District 68 implemented a new student-driven lunch program with Quest Food Management. Since the start of the program, which uses input from students to develop menus and select food items, the district has seen a more than 27 percent increase in school lunch participation.

Christina Malham, Associate Vice President of Marketing at Quest Food, told Patch committees of as many as 16 students meet on a regular basis to review input from student surveys and vote on menu items. During these meetings, they can also talk about concerns and questions and suggest new food items.

The input is then shared with the district's Food Service Director, Amy Mitchell, who uses it to help tailor the the district's lunch offerings.

Some suggestions from the most recent student committee meetings have already been put on menus. Other input will be discussed by Quest Food in May to help inform future dining decisions.

"As a result, students begin to see their ideas come to life on the menu," Malham said.

Quest Food also makes sure to offer foods for students with dietary restrictions.

Malham said, "Quest supports students with dietary restrictions by offering a daily vegetarian option to accommodate religious needs." She added, "[W]e provide a daily dairy free and gluten free menu for students who have requested these accommodations."

Mitchell said the student-driven dining has "transformed the way we approach dining at Woodridge 68."

She told Patch, " We are not just serving meals, we are building a program shaped by student voice. Watching their ideas move from conversation to the serving line has been one of the most rewarding parts of this year.”