District food service manager Jane Fortman explains record-keeping requirements to Angela Miranda, whose goal is to become a registered dietitian.
Angela Miranda’s long and demanding road to becoming a registered dietitian brought her to Mansfield City Schools this month.
The 22-year-old Ashland University graduate today completed three weeks of working with district food service manager Jane Fortman and assistant manager Lauren Ellsworth.
Miranda has begun a grueling 1,200-hour dietetic internship required through a distance learning program of Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pa. Completing the internship – which she expects to do by mid-April – will qualify her to take the test to be certified nationally as a registered dietitian.
Her time with MCS, combined with an earlier six weeks at Ohio Health MedCentral Mansfield Hospital, completed a nine-week rotation in food service. Three other required nine-week rotations in other areas lie ahead.
“I can’t emphasize enough how much I have enjoyed these weeks in Mansfield City Schools or how much I have learned. I never would have imagined all that’s involved in school food service,” Miranda said.
“Before this rotation I wasn’t that passionate about possibly working in schools. But now that I have experienced both the nutrition and business aspects I could see myself doing this someday.”
Fortman, who has managed the district food service program for 23 years, is a registered dietitian and an Ohio licensed dietitian. Ellsworth holds a degree in dietetics.
“This work can be an eye-opener for anyone, especially the meal requirements of the National School Lunch Program,” Fortman said. “Angela spent time with me in the office to see the business end, including the hiring process for staff. She also spent time with Lauren to see how breakfast and lunch menus are planned to meet nutrition and portion requirements.”
Miranda visited each school, met the food service staffs and watched breakfasts and lunches being prepared and served.
A native of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, Miranda worked with students in a classroom at Malabar Intermediate School, talking about fruits and vegetables and helping them experiment with hummus.
“We mashed up the chickpeas and the kids added different ingredients and seasonings to create dips,” she said.
Miranda was required by Cedar Crest College to arrange her own schedule for the 1,200 hours of supervised practice in the four nine-week settings.
“Angela called me last January or February to set this up in the district,” Fortman said. “Planning the internship has required a lot of work on her part.”
Miranda will move now to a nine-week community rotation, working with the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus and the Delaware County WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program.
She then will return to Ohio Health MedCentral Mansfield Hospital for a nine-week clinical rotation. Her final nine weeks – a community concentration rotation – will take her back to the Delaware County WIC program.
“Everyone in the school district has been so nice, so friendly. Jane and Lauren do so much to create meals kids will like within the requirements of the school lunch program,” Miranda said. “This has been a great experience for me.”