September 14, 2023
By BARTON HENLEY
Rutherford County Schools
Rhonda Causey, Stewartsboro Cafeteria Manager, and Sarah DiDominzio, Stewartsboro Cafeteria Assistant Manager, have worked together for the past five years at Stewartsboro Elementary.
Dr. Larissa Westerfield, Stewartsboro Principal, gave high praise to the two.
“They are truly the best of the best and care so much for our students,” says Westerfield. “They meet our students needs every day.”
QUESTION: How long have you both been at Stewartsboro?
Causey: This is my 26th year at Stewartsboro. I started out as part-time then worked my way into the Cafeteria Manager position.
DiDominzio: I am in my fifth year here.
Q: What made a role in the school system appealing to both of you?
DiDominzio: I was a stay-at-home mom for years, but knew I wanted a role that coincided with my children’s schedule. This was the perfect opportunity for me.
Causey: Same for me. I wanted to be available for my children during non-school hours. My boys actually went here for school, now they are grown men with families.
Q: How have you seen Stewartsboro grow as a school?
Causey: Oh, tremendous growth. It has been great to see. With anything, there are ups and downs, but there has been a lot of good here.
Q: Can you tell me more the day-to-day of both of your roles?
Causey: It’s a great job. It’s a hard job. It’s not easy or glamourous. But it is great for those who have children. It has been a lot of adaptation with things always changing.
DiDominzio: And a passion for children. In this role, you must have a passion for children. We deal with a lot of them at the same time. You have to grow and learn to love every one of them. We have five hours during the day where we handle around 120 kids for 30-minute increments. It can be a lot sometimes.
Q: Can you tell me more about your relationship with one another?
DiDominzio: [laughs] We have a great relationship. We love working together. We are friends outside of work too.
Causey: We really do. Sarah and the rest of the cafeteria staff is my support, and I hope in turn I am a resource for them and their support. They look after me. They take care of me.
Q: Can you talk about the culture at Stewartsboro?
DiDominzio: It’s amazing here. Dr. Westerfield is very supportive of us. She’s a phenomenal leader. She was built and made to lead at a high level.
Causey: She is so supportive of us. We love working with her. The culture she has built here is just incredible. She is such a great leader.