IDOE 2026 School Food Service Employee of the Year Nomination Form

Created for Suzette Hartman by Anthony Harvey on 01/08/2023.
IDOE 2026 School Food Service Employee of the Year Nomination Form

The Award
For the 29th year, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) is providing formal recognition for school food service employees who contribute significantly to the health and learning capabilities of students. This award was created to recognize the outstanding achievements of school food service employees who excel in the areas of customer service, attitude, professionalism, and teamwork.

Who is Eligible?
All school food service personnel except Food Service Directors are eligible. Nominees must work at an Indiana school/school corporation or Residential Child Care Institution (RCCI) participating in the National School Lunch Program. Employees of a Food Service Management Company are also eligible to be nominated as long as they work in school food service.

Nomination Deadline
The deadline for submitting a nomination is Friday, February 6, 2026.

Nomination Guidelines
Anyone working at a school, school corporation, or RCCI can nominate a school food service employee for the award. The nominator can include a quote from a parent. The nominator can nominate more than one person, but must complete a separate nomination form for each nominee. All nominations are assessed on a point system by a committee to select the recipient.

Recognition
The 2026 award recipient will receive $250 from the American Dairy Association Indiana and a plaque from IDOE. The award will be presented in the spring of 2026. A Certificate of Appreciation for all other nominees will be emailed to each nominator.

Attention
Please note, you cannot save your work. So if you are not ready to complete a nomination application, wait until you can. Click here for a list of application questions to prepare your responses.

Questions
If you have any questions, please contact Suzette Hartmann at shartman@doe.in.gov.

IDOE 2026 School Food Service Employee of the Year Nomination Form

Complete the information below about the nominee and yourself as nominator.
Nominee's Name

First NameLast Name
Nominee's Title/Position
Name of school building (or facility building) where the nominee works
Number of years the nominee has worked in schoolfood service
Nominator's Name and Title
Nominator's school or corporation name
Nominator's school or corporation mailing address

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
Nominator's telephone number
Format: (000) 000-0000.
Nominator's email address

Confirmation Emailexample@example.com
Nominator's relationship to nominee
If the nominator is not the school principal, enter the name of the school principal here (unless the nominee works at a central kitchen instead of a school). Also enter the name of the principal's school building, complete mailing address, and email address.
Name of School Principal

First NameLast Name
Name of the Principal's School Building
Principal's School Building Address

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
Principal's Email Address

Confirmation Emailexample@example.com
If the nominator is not a Food Service Director (FSD) and the school/corporation has a FSD, please inform the FSD of this nomination and then type the name of the FSD below. The typed name of the FSD here indicates that the FSD has been informed of this nomination.

First NameLast Name
If you entered the name of the Food Service Director (FSD) in the question above, enter the building name, complete mailing address, and email address for the FSD.
FSD Building Name
FSD Mailing Address

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
FDS Email Address

Confirmation Emailexample@example.com

IDOE 2026 School Food Service Employee of the Year Nomination Form

Provide sufficient detail of how the nominee exhibits the qualities listed in this section. Use as much space as needed.

1. Customer Service
A. Describe how the nominee establishes a good relationship with students, teachers, administrators, and parents.
B. Describe how the nominee provides "extra" service beyond normal job requirements.
2. Attitude
Describe how the nominee maintains a positive disposition and exhibits pride in his/her career.
3. Professionalism
A. List any educational training opportunities (classes, conferences, workshops, webinars, etc.) the nominee has attended or participated in within the last two years. Include the name of the class, conference, etc.
B. List any instances in which the nominee has participated in implementing new ideas.
C. List how the nominee advocates the importance of nutrition education as part of the school day.
4. Teamwork
Explain how the nominee exhibits a high standard of performance in terms of his/her teamwork and cooperation with co-workers.
5. Additional Information
If your nominee is selected as the recipient of the award, would it be possible for the presentation to be held on the first Friday in May to coincide with School Lunch Hero Day? It is not required to have the presentation held on this date.
Should be Empty: