![Reaching out. Christopher Lesh, student at Central Catholic High School, serves ice cream during the event on March 2, 2025, at the Portland waterfront. Central Catholic was just one of the schools that sent student volunteers out to cook, prepare, dish, and serve food. Interact club’s co-president Rachel Gerber, junior, plated the food during the event. “I like how direct the contact is,” Gerber said. “You’re there [and] you’re just doing something good. It’s simple, it’s easy, you can feel good about it.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/interact-1-edited-1200x744.jpg)
![At the bottom of the third inning, the Lions are still scoreless. Rowe stands at home plate, preparing to bat, while Vandenbrink stands off to the side as the next batter up. Despite having the bases loaded, the team was unable to score any runs. “It’s just the beginning of the season. We’re just going to be playing out best by June, [and] that’s where champions are,” Rowe said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3077-1200x900.jpg)
*WEB CONTINUATION: This article originally appeared in Volume 105 Issue 2 of our news magazine the Amplifier.
Domino’s Pizza was introduced to school lunches for the first time in September 2024. Domino’s Pizza is served every day to students, offering options for veggies and meat toppings.
Lindsey Flores, Nutrition Services Manager for the school district, explained that Domino’s Pizza was introduced to school lunches because it is a popular, well-loved item. Lines of students formed to try the different topping options on these pizzas.
The nutrition services held a bid for a company that was willing to supply pizza daily for the district. Domino’s won a bid to provide these standards. The company is required to change its original recipe if it does not already meet the child nutrition requirements. Therefore, the pizza from Domino’s had its recipe altered, including 50% whole grain dough and low-fat cheese.
The decision aimed to enhance students’ engagement with school lunch knowing out-of-campus lunch is not super accessible in the area, especially for underclassmen, who can’t always drive.
“Our main incentive was, ‘Can we bring in a pizza item that is different, that’s new, [and] that’s exciting?’” Flores said.
Luckily for the nutrition services of the school district, feedback has been positive, with excitement on pizza days for elementary and middle school students. The initiative allowed school staff to focus on other menu items.
“We are evaluating the food program as a whole, and just trying to think of things that could bring in more students that maybe aren’t wanting to eat with us right now and create excitement,” Flores said.
The nutrition services collect data of food items that are less popular or not as loved by students. This allows them to brainstorm other food options to replace the not-so-loved food items.
“In my dream world, we would have more time for lunch to help staff and students,” Flores said.
Flores emphasizes the need for more staff in order to make more food items under the short amount of time given. She also suggests more time in lunch for students to have more time choosing lunch options, as the long lines already limit the time.
“There’s a couple of new items coming in so keep your eyes open,” Flores said.
Future plans include more cultural and comfort food options, such as soups during colder seasons.
