Powell High School students receive breakfast and lunch every day at school, but those meals don’t just appear hot and ready to eat.

Cafeteria workers, Schelley Argento and Pauline McAdam, come in every day and work to serve students and staff.

And the work is not easy.

Mrs. Argento arrives at the high school to start work at 5 in the morning, and Mrs. McAdam arrives at 6.

Their shifts go until 1 p.m, and they do not eat lunch until after they get off work. Cleaning up after the lunch periods takes about an hour. There are many other jobs to be done in the kitchen also.

Some of these jobs include, “Custodial, all-a-cart, and cleaning,” according to Mrs. Argento.

“To keep the kitchen running on time and management,” Mrs. McAdam added.

Mrs. McAdam and Mrs. Argento have to know how much food to make each day. They have to estimate the numbers from the day before and from the previous popularity of the food they’re serving that day to figure out how many students will eat. The estimates they make are pretty accurate too, considering there isn’t a ton of food that gets thrown away each day.

For all their hard work, they receive gratitude from many students.

“I’m very thankful and appreciative for those who thank me,” Mrs. McAdam said. “I love to cook and I love the kids.”

Added Mrs. Argento: “I absolutely love it when I’m here.”