Area schools honored in fight to feed kids

HELENA — Three area schools were honored Friday for their work in school breakfast programs.

Roosevelt Elementary School in Great Falls was honored as food service staff of the year, Fairfield School District was honored for a longstanding tradition of excellence in serving school breakfast and Browning Public Schools was honored for having more kids participate in its existing school breakfast program.

Also honored were Miles City Public Schools for starting a school breakfast program and Billings Senior High School for having more kids participate in its existing program.

The schools were praised for their efforts during a Serve Montana Awards program at the state Capitol.

“The heroes are gathered in this room today,” Gov. Steve Bullock said to nearly 200 people attending the ceremony.

The schools were honored through the First Lady School Breakfast Champion Awards, which recognizes the initiation and support of school breakfast programs.

Bullock said his wife, Lisa, told him the ceremony was her favorite event of the year.

The Serve Montana Awards honor people and organizations who through community service had helped civic life in Montana. The program is through the Governor’s Office of Community Service.

Bullock said Montana residents contribute more than 26 million hours to their communities.

Early in his speech he singled out Lily Miller, 10, of Missoula, who along with younger sister Maizy raised more than $4,000 to send girls in Nepal to school by sewing fabric-scrap lovebirds and selling them.

“The Lily Millers of this world can teach us about giving,” he said.

You can visit her website at www.lilyslovebirds.com.

Great Falls Public Schools food service supervisor Jennifer Spellman and Bridget Perbil and Julia Carter of Roosevelt Elementary attended Friday’s ceremony. Co-worker Pamela Martinez did not.

“It’s nice to be honored for your work as one of the little people,” Perbil said.

“We love kids,” Carter added. “It’s what we do.”

It was noted during the ceremony that Roosevelt Elementary has severe limitations on space and no dishwasher. The workers said they wash nearly 300 dishes or trays a day.

They said it’s a nice school, but it was built when students would go home for lunch. There’s no room for a dishwasher.

The school has a tiny kitchen in the school district’s oldest building, the first lady said.

“This team of three makes the best of what little they have,” Lisa Bullock said.

Fairfield School District was honored for providing a school breakfast for more than 20 years. And Fairfield accommodates students’ schedules and provides healthy choices.

And Browning Public Schools was honored for its “Grab N Go” program, started last fall in the middle and high schools, which feeds nearly 500 students daily.

Also honored for the Serve Montana Awards were Dick and Linda Juvik of Helena, who brought awareness to the state’s 55 POW/MIAs. They were instrumental in getting U.S. 287 designated as the POW/MIA Memorial Highway, officials said.

Carla Parks of Thompson Falls was honored for leading the town toward economic recovery and more recreation through trails and parks. The law firm of Crowley Fleck was honored for contributing more than 4,000 hours of services and raising awareness of access to justice issues for more than 20 years.

Schylar Canfield-Baber of Butte was honored for his work in foster care. He’s a former foster care youth and now an advocate for foster care students in Montana.