Judy Davidson: Cafeteria worker, Bellefonte Area Middle School

Judy Davidson calls herself a “fixture” at Bellefonte Area Middle School. After all, the longtime cafeteria worker has been with the district since 1991 – working all, but one year at BAMS, and was a substitute for two years before that.

“I’d really like to work a few more years,” she said. “It’s such a great place to work and they have really taken care of me and my family over the years.”

The same could be said about Davidson, as she’s able to watch the students grow from what she said are shy sixth-grade students who turn into confident eighth-graders, and work alongside a group of women who she also said are “great.”

“I love working in the kitchen and serving students and working with a group of women who take pride in what they do,” she said. “We get along and help each other every day, and sometimes we can even make a difference with the kids. We wear our name tags so (the students) can know us and say ‘hi’ when they’re coming through the line, and when we’re out, they’ll ask about us, which I am shocked by. I didn’t think they even noticed us that much.”

Davidson has held just about every position in the cafeteria from acting as the clerk, to cooking, washing dishes, setting up the counters, serving students and more. In that time, she’s also seen some changes – though few and far between.

“The registers – that’s the biggest difference,” she said with a laugh. “When I started here, they used to have the real old registers where you had to add everything in your head. We got new ones about 15 years ago and it does everything for you.”

But as far as the kitchen goes, not much has changed in 28 years, she said. The staff still makes homemade meals. The most popular lunches, Davidson added, are the ones with mashed potatoes and gravy.

When Davidson isn’t work, she said she enjoys spending time with family and camping most weekends of the year at Gray Squirrel Campground in Beavertown.

*By Brit Milazzo, public relations director, BASD