Credit to Jasmine Dong

Mary Rascher helpS students get their lunch at FHN cafeteria. She also handles all finance in the cafeteria.

6:15 a.m.

Mary Rascher gets to school to start her day. She has been working at FHN since 2014, which makes her the lunch staffer with the most seniority at FHN. After ten years of work, Rascher is still happy to show up everyday and put a smile on others’ faces. As soon as she gets to school, her job starts. Students will soon be getting to school, and she will serve them breakfast.

“It’s mostly, I handle the money and get the cashier station ready to go, and breakfast is the first thing, you know. Half an hour after I get in we start breakfast,” Rascher said.

She is the head cashier of the lunch department, but when help is needed somewhere other than the cashiers, she is there and ready.

7:05 a.m.

Students start making their way to first hour and the first wave of rush for the day is over. However, some students are still getting to school and trickle in, quickly buying their breakfast.

7:20 a.m.

One of Rascher’s favorite parts of her days begins. A couple of students in the essential skills work program arrive at the lunch room and help Rascher and her coworkers get organized and ready for what’s ahead.

“Each one of them brings in their own little personality, it’s fun,” Rascher says. “They show up so eager to learn and ready to help every day, we really couldn’t do it without them.”

What they help with changes depending on the day, but most of the time it’s things like stocking up on silverware or carrying boxes stocked with bags of chips. It’s a great way for Mary to begin her day. She claims that it’s also good for the students to keep busy and be part of something that makes a difference. She spends the rest of the morning helping wherever it’s needed.

10:07 a.m.

“First lunch tends to be easier,” Rascher said. “It’s not as crowded, the kids are a little more calm. But really, no matter how large, or if there’s a lot of kids at the same time, I’m just trying to get everyone through as quickly as we can.”

Her main focus during lunch is the kids. She tries to be kind to all of them, smiling and encouraging them to have a good day, but she works to do it in a timely manner where everyone still has time to eat.

“Every day of the week is different,” Rascher said. “The menu changes every day, so every day just fluctuates differently. Problems come up, but we just figure our way around it. It’s a juggling act, let’s put it that way.”

In between lunches, Mary sticks to her everyday duties.

“It’s the money, taking care of the money at each one of the cashier stations as well as I spend a lot of time counting,” Rascher said. “Counting money. Counting milk. Counting silverware. Everything gets counted, it’s how I fill my time.”

Her days are filled with constant tasks, but she claims it’s all a controlled chaos. Sejal Patel, who has been working with Mary for five years, admires the way Rascher deals with stressful situations that come along, but mostly she admires how much Rascher considers the students at FHN.

“She takes care of the kids really well, she remembers their names, I can’t do it,” Patel said. “ She also places everything out so nicely, thinking of the easiest way that the kids can grab things and go.”

It’s just a couple of the many things Rascher tries to do to help kids have a great day.

“Seeing smiles on kids’ faces makes the job worthwhile,” Rascher said.

Though Rascher really loves the students at FHN, she also greatly appreciates the team she has around her.

“There are plenty of ladies that I enjoy spending time with,” Rascher said. “Whenever we are set back because of small changes in the school schedule, sometimes it can be hard, but we work as a team, and that’s what matters the most. On holidays or when birthdays come around, we take any chance to get together, most of the time we get food and have fun.”

12:26 p.m.

As the last lunch ends, Rascher’s day has been a full one, but she stands strong until 2:30 comes around and she leaves for home.

“A little quiet time is needed by last lunch, so many things have happened by the time the day is over with that I feel like I need to lay down,” Rascher said. “But at that point, what’s really left to do is just tallying up each one of the registers, helping the other ladies clean up the area, basically we get ready for the next day.”

She will show up to work again the next day and know that if smoothies are spilled on the floor, food is left over, or if a student is disrespectful, it will all be ok, because tomorrow is a new day.

“It’s going to be crazy, but it won’t be crazy all the time, keep smiling, good days will come,” Rascher said.