Two of our school’s most beloved “cafeteria ladies,” Ms. Terri Chisholm and Ms. Veronica Gordon, are retiring at the end of this school year.
Both Chisholm and Gordon are dedicated to their work, with Terri having worked here for 21 years and Roni for 10 years.
A highlight of the job for Chisholm is the relationships she’s made with students.
“Well, I guess it would be when I talk to the kids, and they talk back, and when they smile, and they say good morning, and then before I know it, they’re saying good morning to me first. So I love it when that happens,” she said.
During lunch hours, both Ronnie and Terri make a bunch of friends, whether it be through the lunch line or the à la carte. The kids here love them.
“I have made lots of friends, as a matter of fact, when the seniors left, they gave me their photographs, and I got to sign their yearbooks. I’ve made lots of friends in my twenty-one years.”
Making lunch for the entire school is not easy work.
“I work a four-hour shift, and from the time I get in to the time I leave, we are like working in a restaurant because the high school is like a food court and there are so many choices for you guys, and we don’t stop. We’re cooking, making sandwiches, wrapping sandwiches, and making pizzas from scratch. It’s a lot of work,” said Gordon.
Both of them say they will miss the people here the most out of everything.
“[I will miss] the people I work with, the students, the people I see every day, the ladies at the front office,” Chisolm said.
“A great part of our day,” Gordon added.
Even though they’ll miss work, there is no doubt they are looking forward to retirement.
Chisolm’s plans include “doing whatever I want to do, because everything’s going to be my choice. I got my grandchildren, so I’m looking forward to seeing them a lot more than I do now.”
Gordon looks forward to “spending time with family and grandchildren as well, going to the beach; we both love going to the beach, and making our own choices and doing what we want to do every day.”
