Members of the HCISD Student Advisory Board recently attended the 2026 South Texas Cooperative Food Show, where they had the opportunity to sample a wide variety of food products and provide feedback on possible menu items for the 2027-2028 school year.
From pizza and chicken sandwiches to snacks, fruits, vegetables, dips and other student favorites, advisory board members sampled products from hundreds of vendors while considering an important question: Would HCISD students enjoy seeing this on their school lunch menu?
Their feedback will help the HCISD Child Nutrition Department evaluate potential new menu offerings and better understand what students want to see in their cafeterias.
The experience is part of the district’s continued focus on student voice and creating opportunities for students to play an active role in decisions that directly impact them.
“When we create opportunities for students to share their voice, we are showing them that what they think matters,” Superintendent Dr. Veronica Kortan said. “Our students know their schools and their peers, and their perspective is important as we look for ways to make their experience even better. I love that our Student Advisory Board members had the opportunity to represent their classmates, learn something new, and see that their voices can truly make a difference.”
Students did more than taste-test food. Throughout the event, they compared products, interacted with food vendors and Child Nutrition professionals, and gained a behind-the-scenes look at how potential school menu items are evaluated.
“Many vendors gave out the same items, such as pizza, so my favorite part was being able to compare them and decide which vendor I thought had better quality,” Student Advisory Board member Bianca Mattysyn Rios said.
For Rios, the experience also highlighted the importance of giving students a voice in decisions that affect them.
“I learned it’s important to provide students like me opportunities like this because we are the future advocates for the world,” Rios said. “By speaking on behalf of our peers, we get to say we were part of something that will help future generations. After all, we are the ones who live and lead it.”
As Child Nutrition staff begin planning future menus, the feedback gathered at the food show will help create meals that are nutritious, appealing, and shaped by the students they serve.
