USD 373 is proud to announce the hire of Sydney McBeth, our Nutrition Program Coordinator. Sydney received her Bachelors of Science in Nutrition and Health from Kansas State University in 2023.

1. What previous experience has prepared you for your new role as Nutrition Program Coordinator? I previously worked as the Nutrition Coordinator for a non-profit called Child Start that served children aged 0 - 5 and their families. There are a lot of similarities between these two positions which I think will make the transition into this new role hopefully a little easier.
2. What inspired you to pursue a career in school nutrition? My mom and brother were both diagnosed with Celiac Disease back in 2011/2012 and I think just watching them navigate this new lifestyle, especially during a time where gluten free diet/items were not as 'popular' or prevalent just caught my attention. I knew then I wanted to pursue a degree in nutrition, but I wasn't sure what I really wanted to do with that degree. It wasn't until I graduated college and started working at Child Start that I really enjoyed the idea of working in school nutrition. 
3. What have you learned from working directly with students, families or food-service teams? I've learned that kids have very strong opinions when it comes to the food they get served and they aren't afraid to let you know. It was really fun getting to sit in on mealtimes and just listen to the kids talk about their favorite/least favorite foods. As a parent myself, I've been able to utilize a lot of what I learned from sitting in on these mealtimes, with my own children. 
4. What strengths or skills are you most excited to bring to this position? I'm excited to bring all the knowledge I gained from college as well as from Child Start, to this position.
5. As you begin this new role, what are you most looking forward to learning and accomplishing? I'm looking forward to continuing to learn about child/school nutrition and what it takes to be a part of running a school nutrition program.