Moorhead Area Public Schools superintendent Dr. Brandon Lunak presented the first Spud Spirit Award for the 2024-25 school year to Ashley Smith. Ashley is the Administrative Assistant for the Food and Nutrition Services department at the MAPS Operations Center.
Dr. Lunak surprised Ashley with her award at the Food and Nutrition Services office. He told her that her nominator described her as “the glue that holds the Food and Nutrition Services department together,” as she has taken on many roles to ensure students have access to food, including: processing applications for educational benefits, working with each school to provide snack & milk scholarships for students in need, facilitating food orders for buildings, representing the department at district events and even filling in at meal time at schools.
“I was impressed by the story from last school year where you helped a short-staffed school out by scrubbing over 300 potatoes and preparing 200 breakfast sandwiches by yourself to make sure that everything was ready for the next day,” Lunak said to Smith.
Ashley’s work behind the scenes to keep students fed district-wide is a great example of how all district employees help fulfill MAPS’ mission to develop the maximum potential of every student to thrive in a changing world.
The Spud Spirit Award is a recognition program that honors MAPS staff who live by the district mission to develop the maximum potential of every learner to thrive in a changing world and showcase our Spud Spirit statements:
Students, staff, parents, families, and the Moorhead community
Passionate, engaged, innovative, and growing in safe environments
Unique, worthy, respectful, and relationship-based
Diversity enriches our school and community
Stewards of the public’s trust in effective and efficient operations
Spud Spirit Award nominations are made by staff, student families and community members.