Lakeside's New Transition: SAGE Dining Service

The Food Research and Action Center says that cafeteria school lunches play a vital role in giving students good nutrition and making sure that the children can use their remaining school day effectively. Lakeside School shares these views, and to ensure that nutritional needs are met, they have decided that as of next year, Lakeside will transition into using SAGE Dining Services to provide meals for all Lakeside students and faculty.

On February 13th, Dr. Bynum, our head of school, sent an email out to parents and faculty, announcing next year’s new change in catering services. In his email, Dr. Bynum expressed concerns that he and others had about current food policy. Dr. Bynum gave a number of reasons why our current dining situation needs to change, writing, “Lunch is an important part of the school day: Students learn best when they have enough food, and when options are available that fit their needs.” With these expectations in mind, Dr. Bynum announced that during the coming summer, Lakeside would transition into using SAGE Dining Services. Why? Dr. Bynum gave a number of reasons.

Firstly, students will be able to order as much food as they want. Dr. Bynum said that most students do not know how much money they spend on meals. In our current food regime, parents/guardians are sent a bill after charges are made. During checkout, only the cashier can see the price of the meal being ordered. The result is that the actual price might be something vastly different from what the students think. 

With SAGE, this will change. Families will be charged a $1,600 annual fee. While this might seem like a large amount, when considering the number of school days and the average cost of a SAGE meal ($10), it is not unreasonable. Financial aid will also be available, whereas with the current cafeteria system there is less access to help, Dr. Bynum pointed out. When students come with their bursting plate of food in hand to check out, they will not have to worry about the price. Instead, they can order as much food as desired during their lunch period, knowing that everything is already paid for. 

Secondly, Dr. Bynum informed us that SAGE’s values align with those of Lakeside. They are focused mainly on community, quality service, sustainability and education. SAGE’s morals sound uncannily like those of Lakeside, don’t they? There is no denying the importance of shared views when it comes to something as important as a student’s food and daily nutrition. 

The third reason that Dr. Bynum presented was the fact that all students will be able to consume the food they want to eat. There will be a variety of fresh foods. We will be able to taste the rainbow of different international cuisines! Along with a main course, there will be side options such as a salad bar, a deli, and a soup station. 

While SAGE might appear extremely promising, there are several families that harbor concerns regarding allergies. Nearly immediately after the email was sent, several families contacted Dr. Bynum. SAGE says on their website that they are capable of handling vegetarians, vegans and people with celiac disease (the inability to eat gluten, wheat, barely, rye and more) or serious anaphylactic allergies. The information on SAGE’s website was rather brief, but Dr. Bynum and the Lakeside leadership team seem confident that SAGE is safe and reliable. I talked to Ms. Abu Rahmeh, the Middle School director, about the allergy situation for SAGE, and she gave me several pieces of good information:

Firstly, if families have allergy concerns, they can meet with SAGE staff to discuss how their students can eat in the cafeteria without any risk of harm. 

Secondly, all ingredients of the dishes will be shown in the lunch line. The signs are there for students to review what goes into the food and to make sure that they will be safe.  

Finally, SAGE is used by many different private schools, such as Bush, Seattle Academy and St. Thomas School. SAGE employees have a lot of experience when it comes to caring for students. 

I hope we can positively move forward into the new era of SAGE dining!