Every day the students at LHS get dished out tests and homework. We learn material and then proceed to recite it back on our tests in hopes of good grades and a brighter future, but while most of the staff is giving students math and English, there is another LHS staff member serving “sandwiches and salads.”
But there is something more important that our cafeteria worker in question supplies: Joel gives out Joy.
While asking several students their opinion on Joel I was always met with good remarks.
Ned Straton mentioned that he “Is a really chill guy,” and Faith Keroack brought up how he “always has something positive to say.”
My curiosity became brightened and I wanted to learn more about the man behind the apron.
What was he like before LHS? Does he have any cool talents or interesting facts? Any wisdom for our students?
So, at an LHS volleyball game, I sat down with Joel and had the pleasure of finding out how interesting he really is.
Joel told me one of the favorite parts of his job is “seeing the students.” He talked about his “invisible magic tricks” and “jokes” that he has with the students, all while serving them a good hearty meal. Joel loves adding a sense of fun to the lunch with his “silly holiday themed hats and cabbage patch dance moves.”
He is the only male cafeteria worker in the school district and has been working at LHS for five years. In those five years, he has lived through the covid pandemic where he continued to hand out school lunches to students even while school was virtually shut down. Joel worked at East Street for this time. He and the other cafeteria workers “handed out brown bag lunches to all the students who needed them.”
Today Joel serves lunch on the “A La Cart” side of the cafeteria where he serves wraps and other “alternate” lunches. And he does much of the heavy lifting in the cafeteria. Large crates, boxes, cans, if it’s heavy to lift, Joel’s got it handled.
Luckily, Joel’s younger days prepared him for this, while in high school Joel was a wrestler. He made the varsity team all four years and placed 7th in Connecticut at the state championship. He got excited while telling me about a victory over one of his opponents. He described him as “6’ 4” and 400 pounds.” Heavy lunch crate doesn’t seem so heavy when compared to some of the giants Joel had to wrestle.
In addition to wrestling, Joel also played football at his school for 3 years and threw javelin and shot putt on the track team. He made sure to emphasize the importance of extracurricular activities in the high school. They give you “something to do and something to enjoy.”
But, being an athlete was not the only skill Joel had in high school. He was blessed with a talented voice. Joel was the announcer for his school’s variety show (similar to the LHS senior show). He described how he could always get the crowd “Fired Up” and how fun it was to announce. Joel continued to increase his announcing skills and actually has a degree in broadcasting from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. I was not very surprised to hear this considering I heard Joel at the pep rally last school year. His voice is impressive and can certainly move a crowd.
In addition to his athletic prowess and strong voice, Joel also takes particular pride in his Scottish culture. He was married in a kilt and full Scottish attire including the sporran, vest, family crest, and tie. Later, he took his honeymoon to Scotland where he visited William Wallace’s grave, saw Loch Ness, and ate haggis.
But Scotland is not the only country Joel takes pride in. Joel is a proud patriot who loves America. His father was in the military, served in the Air Force for twenty-two years, and saw combat in Korea and Vietnam. Joel has even used some of his writing talents to comfort and support the military. He has a copyrighted poem titled “Coming Home”. The poem—about a soldier killed in action—was very popular and actually circulated around the Fire Bases in Afghanistan. Joel mentioned how he spoke to a gold star mother who told him that the poem was powerful and well-written.
While Joel is a talented man in the literary arts he also possesses creativity in crafting. He showed me a miniature he had created in his garage based on a Halloween haunted house. The miniature embodied the enthusiasm and energy of Joel and had a little bit of everything: Grave stones scattered with familiar names; bigfoot with a water bottle because Joel said “hydration is important”; a skeleton in an out house; and an alive noise making pirate from the Pirates of the Caribbean. I do my best to describe it but one can only get the full effect by seeing Joel’s creation in person.
Joel is also not the only one working on his miniature; his two children, Junior Victoria and Freshman John, both get involved too. Victoria does some of the painting and John helps with the props. Overall the model is a great way that Joel gets to bond and work on something creative with his family.
As I began wrapping up my interview with Joel I asked him if he had any advice for the students of LHS. Joel turned to me with a wise look on his face and said “Learn from your mistakes.” He then used this as a great transition to talk about the Rocky movie and boxing. He said “It’s like what is said in the Rocky Balboa movie: ‘It’s not how many times you get knocked down it’s how many times you get up.’” Joel used this quote to stress the importance of resilience in life. He wants the students of LHS to “shoot for the moon” and “collect no’s.” Joel believes in striving to improve and continuing to push forward even when your surroundings are telling you no. He ended by stressing that it’s important to “find something that makes you happy.” Two very important messages from the man behind the apron, Joel Davidson.