Live in Franklin March-April 2024
When Elaine Vaughn, a lifelong Russellville resident, graduated from Russellville High School in 1976, she had no idea what path she would ultimately take, but on April 1st, I remember it fondly as I prepare to begin my next chapter in retirement. . Her longtime RHS family member and consumer science teacher, Cindy Coyne, will replace her as RCS child nutrition program director.
“Serving as Director of Child Nutrition for Russellville City Schools for the past 17 years has been the most rewarding job I have ever had,” said Vaughn. “I loved working with the students, all the school staff, and the administration.”
After high school, Vaughn attended Northwest Shoals Community College and then the University of North Alabama, graduating with a degree in business education. She first worked as a dietary secretary at the hospital, and after six months, after her former director retired, she became assistant dietary director. She took courses at the University of Florida to obtain the necessary certifications for food service. “I worked in a hospital for 13 years, then moved into human resources, and when my current job became available, I applied,” Vaughn explained.
Her parents were Audie and Eloise Horvater. When Vaughn was young, she lived near College Avenue Elementary School and she would walk across the street to her home for lunch every day. One memory that punctuates her high school memories is when her father passed away when she was a freshman in college. She is “always grateful to my teachers, principal, and counselors for looking out for me,” Vaughn said. “In fact, I know that school staff make a huge difference in students’ lives. I don’t think some of them realize how important they are to students.” Bourne explained that she had always wanted to give back to the school. She said, “As child nutrition director, I hope to be able to help some children.”
In ninth grade, she and other students helped out in the cafeteria and earned money for lunch each day. They ate between lunches, and Vaughan said the lunch women always gave them extra food to help out. “I loved bread rolls and cinnamon rolls,” she recalled.
She had just turned 15 when she met and began dating her high school sweetheart, Mike Vaughn, whom they would eventually marry. At RHS, her now-husband played soccer and baseball, and she was a cheerleader and a member of her tennis team. “Her son Wes played football and baseball, and her daughter Whitney was a cheerleader,” Vaughn added. “My family runs in black and gold. I would say being a Golden Tiger is a great thing.”
It was in January 2007 that she began part of her career as the Child Nutrition Director for Russellville City Schools. At the time, the program served an average of 2,700 meals a day, including breakfast, lunch and about 61 snacks a day, and had about 2,400 people enrolled. Currently, the program serves an average of more than 4,000 meals per day, including breakfast, lunch, and approximately 330 types of snacks. Snacks Her program includes sports, tutoring, band, and other activities that take place at school. The number of registered users is approximately 2,600. “CNP has gone through many changes in the 17 years that I have been director.”
In 2007, the Child Nutrition Program received a grant for fresh fruits and vegetables. This is a first for Alabama, and RCS was one of 25 school systems to accept it. This system continued to receive subsidies from 2015 to 2016. “We were able to provide fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks for the students, and around this time we started eating roasted corn, and the students loved it,” Vaughan said. said.
They received a USDA equipment grant for a walk-in cooler, a reach-in freezer and cooler, and a small van to deliver meals to preschoolers. Other grants were provided by No Kid Hungry, Action for Healthy Kids, and Dairy Alliance.
In 2014, the program successfully purchased an off-site walk-in freezer and installed it in a storage building next to the bus barn. “The freezers and storage were a lifesaver, especially during the coronavirus pandemic and when Crispitos was removed from the national tender,” Vaughn explained. “Due to the impact of COVID-19, food and paper supplies have become difficult, so we have been purchasing from various vendors and trying to stock up on products we use every day.”
She explained that 2012 was when the CNP as they knew it started to change, noting that for the program to claim a reimbursable meal, each child had to have a fruit or vegetable on their tray. did. Additionally, half of all grains served had to be whole grains. Sodium allowances have been lowered. Sugar restrictions were also implemented in elementary and junior high schools. Milk he had to be 1% or fat-free. In high school, I could eat sweet tea and Gatorade, but not at other schools. They must adhere to maximum calorie limits for each year group and must provide red, dark green and orange vegetables each day, as well as starchy vegetables and legumes weekly. did. Nutrient analysis of the menu is performed.
“Child nutrition programs are highly regulated as to what can and cannot be provided through the federal government,” she added.
In 2014-2015, the system launched a “universal breakfast program at Russellville Elementary School, West Elementary School, and Russellville Middle School.” Breakfast was provided free to all students,” Vaughn explained. “We really want our students to start their day with a meal that fuels their bodies, and our teachers to fuel their minds. All you can think about is being hungry. It’s hard to learn in that state.”
In 2016-2017, RCS CNP was able to become a regionally qualified school. This program allows all students in the system to receive free breakfast and lunch each day. Since RCS lost her status as a CEP from her 2019 to her 2020 school year, Vaughn and her team are wondering if she could qualify for a program that would allow students to continue receiving free breakfast and lunch. I decided to check it out. After working with the state CNP and USDA, they decided to work toward becoming a Provision 2 school.
“This required all students to resubmit applications for free and reduced lunch, which they have not done for the past four years,” Vaughn explained. “I cannot praise enough the school administrators, teachers, secretaries, counselors, and staff who worked together to receive applications from our students. Without their support, we would not have been able to proceed to Provision 2. We would not have been able to do that. We are delighted to be returning to CEP in 2023-2024.”
When COVID-19 struck in March 2020, CNP programs faced new challenges. RCS decided to prepare and serve meals to the students. “We needed to come up with a plan. We needed to figure out a way to provide this service to our students,” Vaughn said. “CNP staff prepared meals at Russellville Elementary School, and administration and school staff distributed meals to students and families who drove to RES circles, serving 85,218 meals from mid-March to May.”
During the summer, CNP runs a school lunch program to supplement vacation time. “When I started, we were serving about 11,000 meals a summer,” Vaughn said. “And some of the meals were served in schools, and others were given to the city’s parks and recreation programs, served at recreation centers and both housing projects.” She said she delivered 31,519 meals through the program this summer. meals were provided to students.
She said one of her favorite programs is the annual Thanksgiving meal for students. She said, “Families come and take pictures of their kids and things like that, so it’s a lot of fun. It’s a really good community event. We want everyone to get involved in our school system.” is.”
She is a member of the Alabama Child Nutrition Program Directors and previously served as both president and vice president. All RCS CNP employees are members of the School Nutrition Association and the Alabama School Nutrition Association.
“I was able to travel to Washington, D.C., to represent the Child Nutrition Program before the Legislative Action Committee,” Vaughn explained. “We met with members of Congress and the Senate to discuss the issues that child nutrition programs address and ask for their support. We are very fortunate to work closely with Congressman Aderholt, and he They met us in DC and visited our school on Roast Corn Day to visit CNP.”
Although CNPs continue to face new challenges with regulations and requirements each year, “our food, supply, and labor costs have increased significantly, and all CNPs are self-reliant and able to meet all costs and labor costs.” It is expected to cover costs, supplies, equipment repairs, food – federal reimbursements and cafeteria sales,” Vaughn explained – CNP workers are a special focus. Vaughan said he wants to make sure students are eating “nutritious and delicious meals,” adding that he just introduced a new service line at the high school last year with a fruit bar and salad bar. “The students love it,” she explained. “Fruit and salad bars are very expensive, but if students eat them, it’s worth it. We know that for some students, lunch and breakfast may be their only meals at school. We recognize these and want them to be delicious.”
“I have valued my relationships with the administration and school board, past and present, over the past 17 years and am grateful for their trust in me in allowing me to pursue programs that have benefited our students.” Vaughn he added. “I have always told CNP staff that they have servant hearts. They go above and beyond every day to make sure our students have breakfast and lunch every day. We serve over 4,000 meals and snacks per day. They amaze me, and even during the pandemic they went the extra mile and we didn’t step out.”
Vaughn ended his career on a personal high. In 2022, she was named the Alabama School Nutrition Association’s CNP Director of the Year. “It was a real surprise,” she said. “It’s been very exciting and I’m very honored.” Although she will retire on April 1, she has many plans to continue her work and remain open to possibilities.
“I want to be able to do things for different people,” Vaughn said. His retirement plans include tennis, traveling, hiking, biking, and “whatever comes to mind.”
She also said she wanted to spend more time with family and friends, including watching her grandson play tennis at Mortimer Jordan. She said, “I look forward to spending more time with my church family at North Highland Church of Christ.”
Another goal is to spend more time helping animals. “I am involved with an amazing group of people who are dedicated to educating Franklin County residents about animal foster care, spaying, and neutering,” she explained. “I would like to spend more time on this initiative.”
Those are the current plans, Vaughn said. “God may have another plan and I’m going to follow it.”
