GJHS’s secret ingredient

The GJHS cafeteria staff has been serving 800 students per lunch

Mason Strippel, Reporter • November 6, 2025

GJHS students hanging out and eating lunch. The lunch was BBQ pork and Broncos burgers.

Serving over 800 Grand Junction High School students daily, the school cafeteria is a bustling food court, fueling young minds with energy, fun and food.

According to GJHS Head Chef Ted Riley, the cooking staff is improving their breakfast and lunch, and the way they serve it, so students can be well fed and ready to learn without being on an empty stomach.

According to GJHS principal Jory Sorensen, the old school served about 150 students a day. Last year, the school was serving around 200 lunches. The cafeteria was serving over 600 earlier this year, and now they are serving 800 regularly.

“Our participation percentage has gone up over 20% in the last two years. We have the opportunity with the new school to bring delicious new options to the menu. We are serving an expanded menu to bring in food that is not on the regular menu. We also just want to give the students positivity and a safe place,” said Riley, who took over the cafeteria when the new school opened in August 2024.

The cafeteria is also open longer, which allows more students to get a nutritious meal each day, accommodating a variety of students’ schedules. This is particularly important with all the students who attend classes off our main campus.

The latest addition to the cafeteria was the food cart. Riley was seeing students rushing out the main entrance, not wanting to wait in line for food, so he decided to use a cart that brings food that is easy to grab and go.

“The breakfast and lunch are delicious, I’m glad I can get food that will fill me up when I can’t go off campus or have as many food options at home. The cooking staff is great, giving us food and making sure we have a good day,” said GJHS sophomore Neveah Garcia.

Riley is also trying to collaborate with the GJHS culinary arts program to enable the students to come up with a menu to prepare and serve once each semester. He wants the students to choose what to make and serve, then he’ll buy the food to serve when ready.

According to Riley, the food at GJHS is 70% scratch cooking. He sources as much food as he can locally and regionally to ensure quality and freshness.

Colorado’s Healthy School Meals for All program (HSMA) was first approved in 2022, providing free breakfast and lunch to all students regardless of family income. Colorado voters approved additional funding in the Nov. 4 election that fully funds the program after experiencing higher than expected student participation.

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About the Contributors

Mason Strippel, Reporter

Mason Strippel is a junior. He is part of the Orange and Black Newspaper. He likes to play basketball, video games, and mountain hiking. He is also part of the TRIO Upward Bound program. He joined the Orange and Black Newspaper during his sophomore year.

Lincoln McQuade, Managing Editor

Lincoln McQuade is a GJHS senior and this year’s Managing Editor. This is his second year on the staff and his first as an editor. Lincoln enjoys playing the guitar and bass, and he is very excited to be a prominent editor this year.