Connie Meier was a special person in the Glen Crest Middle School community. As the manager of the school’s cafeteria, Meier believed food brought people together, and she nourished both the students and staff at Glen Crest.
Meier was often the first person at school, arriving before 5 a.m. to prepare food. She was frequently checking in with students, asking them for feedback on the meals, then tweaking menus to make sure students were healthy and happy. Every student knew “Miss Connie.”
When Meier died unexpectedly in November, students were looking for a way to honor her memory. Students knew that Meier owned four dogs, and her obituary asked for contributions to go to "Helping Paws", a Minnesota nonprofit that trains dogs to work with people who have disabilities and veterans with PTSD.
Read the Daily Herald story about this student fundraiser: https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20181214/she-did-her-job-with-care-middle-school-remembers-late-cafeteria-manager
Students decided to organize a unique fundraiser, inspired by a book they were reading. The book highlighted people who had attempted world records or done extreme challenges to raise money for charities. Five Glen Crest boys - James Folkerts, Hayden Joseph, LeAndre Matthews, Naseeruddin Mohammed, and Nathan Zambori – decided to hold a yoga pose contest during December lunch periods. The students made posters and signed up students.
Students paid $1 to enter the contest to see who could hold “the crow” yoga pose the longest. The winner received a gift card that was donated. Semifinals were held Thursday, December 13, then finals were held the next day.
The student winners were:
Sixth grade: Katelyn Watkins
Seventh grade: Abby DePorter
Eighth grade: Eduar Martinez
The students raised more than $250 for Helping Paws. They were thrilled to honor someone who had made a difference to them.
“She was really kind,” Zambori told the Daily Herald. “She care a lot about us.”
About Connie Meier
Outside the nearly endless tasks of preparing middle-school meals, Meier would share homemade treats with staff. She helped one co-worker who was going through difficult circumstances find a place to stay and a way to get to work.
Last year, she earned the district’s “89 Empowers Award” for her generous and extraordinary under-the-radar work. Meier offered to help provide food for a before-school club that Glen Crest teacher Cindi Baker, who helped the boys organize the fundraiser, started for students who needed extra reading help.
“When I approached her to see if she’d be interested in making breakfast twice a week - even though she’s already in the thick of getting ready for lunch – she didn’t hesitate in wanting to be part of this group,” Baker said at the end of the 2018 school year. “She wants to make sure their bodies are well-nourished, just as the books we’re reading are nourishing our students’ minds.”
You can read Meier’s memorial notice at: https://www.modelldarien.com/obituaries/Constance-M-Coddington?obId=3571811#/obituaryInfo