LONG BEACH, Miss. (WLOX) – The Long Beach School District received a community-wide thank you Thursday as volunteers delivered more than 400 hamburger meals to every employee across the district.
The gesture came after Long Beach School District earned the title of number one school district in the state again.
“We as a community wanted to come together and show our gratitude to the administration, the staff, every member of our school district, just thanking them for what they do on a daily basis,” Long Beach alderman at large Donald Frazer said. “Every employee is going to have a lunch today.”
Meals assembled and delivered district-wide
More than 400 hamburger meals were assembled at Coastal Daiquiri, and volunteers hand-delivered each one to every school in the district.
“Our teachers work so hard, but so does everyone in our district. And so, to do this for every employee in the Long Beach School District just means a lot. Because it shows how important everyone is to make this system work,” superintendent of the Long Beach School District Talia Lock said.
Superintendent Lock said the recognition was well-deserved for the district’s employees.
“This is so well deserved for everyone that works in our school district,” Superintendent Lock said. “We pride ourselves on being a system of excellence because we know that there isn’t a weak link, that everyone matters. Everyone’s important in our system.”
Teachers reflect on achievement
Educators said they are proud that the Long Beach School District was named the number one school district in the state again.
“Not just because we were ranked number one, but all the efforts of teachers who work so hard every day and pour so much into their students, you know, it’s showing in the classroom and students are really being poured into here,” first grade teacher Breana Swarnowicz said.
Victor Rodriguez, a P.E. teacher in his first year with the district, said he has noticed his colleagues dedication.
“This year is my first year getting on with the school district and kind of seeing the behind the scenes,” Rodriguez said. “It’s been actually really cool seeing how much the teachers are really involved, not just in day-to-day classroom things with the students, but after school, too, and how much they love the students. So all of that, I think, translated to the scores that they got this year.”
Frazer said the community recognizes the effort educators put into their work.
“We see the love that they put into our children. It’s time, it’s effort,” Frazer said. “It’s them being away from their families, you know, in the evening doing lesson planning, things like that. That shows in these grades that these children have.”
Community appreciation
For many employees, the free lunch was a highlight of the day.
“I just want to say thank you for the businesses and individuals who made it possible for us to have a free lunch,” Swarnowicz said.
First grade teaching assistant Katie Shavers said the gesture demonstrated community support.
“We are very thankful. It’s nice being able to come to work and actually have something for lunch and just feeling the love in the community is a big part of why I like working in Long Beach,” Shavers said.
Superintendent Lock thanked everyone involved in organizing the meal delivery.
“I just want to say thank you to everybody who came out to deliver and to cook and to organize and to pay,” Superintendent Lock said. “I mean, it just took a lot of people to pull this off. And so, I’m just very thankful.”
The Long Beach School District will hold a celebratory parade Thursday, Oct. 30, starting at 5 p.m. The parade will go down Jeff Davis and end at the Town Green.
See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.
Copyright 2025 WLOX. All rights reserved.