Food Service Specialist is a “diamond in the rough”
More often than not, teachers and principals come to mind when one thinks about the men and women who work in our public schools.
But other staff also help to make a positive impact on the lives of Detroit Public Schools Community District’s 45,000 students.
Katina J. Laird is one of them.
Laird, a state certified food service specialist, has worked for DPSCD for 16 years. She started as a satellite aide and then earned an opportunity to become a specialist. She currently supervises two assistants and group of about 20 current Drew Transition Center students. The two assistants are former DPSCD students.
Charles R. Drew Transition Center, located at 9600 Wyoming Road on the city’s west side, educates students aged 18 to 26. They attend the program, which is a unique post-secondary vocational center for moderate and severely cognitively impaired, visually impaired, hearing impaired, physically impaired, otherwise health impaired and students with autism.
Laird is part manager and part big sister. For a few hours a day she helps to prepare students to learn and develop work skills.
The students learn commercial kitchen skills from “Ms. Tina” and also what she calls “tough love,” preparing them for the real world.
“I let them know what I expect in this kitchen,” she says. “We don’t play around in here. We’re working around hot food. This is serious.”
They place watermelon slices in small plastic cups and scoop green beans on serving plates that were home grown in the school’s garden. Drew is the largest Farm to School program in America, according to the DPSCD. Students help to harvest vegetables in the school’s garden and outdoor Hoop House, and then prepare meals onsite.
Donna Jackson, president of the Detroit Federation of Para-Professionals, calls food service specialists “Katina Laird is a diamond in the rough.”
“The focus is students,” Jackson says about employees like Laird who work behind the scenes. “She’s helping to shape those minds. She’s a jewel.”