by Madi Burns/Staff Writer
Photo Caption: Lunch ladies prepare lunch for students and staff at GC.
Lunch ladies and cafeteria workers, who normally get lesser recognition, have stories to tell, just like teachers and staff. An example would be Ali Stine, dishroom worker and former cashier, who has been a part of Greenfield Central for 8 years.
Ali Stine, a mother of 3 and dishroom worker, cares a lot about GC students. “I love the interaction with the kids. Probably way too much. I’m in the dish-room now, and I so miss it. I miss the interaction with my kids. I call you guys [students] my kids,” Stine said.
When Stine was young, she wanted to live in Florida, become an accountant, and drive a really nice car. However, when she took finite math, she realized that maybe accounting wasn’t for her. So she came to Greenfield Central, and became a cashier for the lunch line.
Stine is inspired by being kind, and making a difference. “I want to be nice, like I want to make people happy.” She went on to say, “When I first started here, I was a cashier, and my goal was to get kids to talk. I wanted everyone to say hi. I started with maybe 5 kids saying it, and by the end of the year, I had 50 kids that said hi. I just wanted to make a difference.”
Lunch ladies prepare lunch for students and staff at GC.
Stine shared the best advice she’d ever received. “There’s a difference between being kind and showing kindness. You have to know the difference. You have to truly be kind to people.” And her advice to younger generations here at GC and everywhere else, is to just be present.
One thing Stine wishes people knew about her is that, “I care about everybody. I care too much.” A favorite of her personality is pretty much the same. “I’m always happy. I always smile. I’m always happy. Again, I care too much.” And it all wraps around to her love of GC. Stine’s favorite movie is the Notebook. “I love the Notebook. It reminds me of my grandparents.” She went on to tell her favorite book, which is the Bible. “I started reading the Bible, going to Bible studies, and I’m learning all about that, because it’s very life changing, and it’s something you can live on.” Stine also stated that her hero is her grandpa.