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Filling Up People’s Plates and Hearts By: Matthew Garcia & Ashley Quic

Karla Evaines-Barnett is part of the lunch staff for Da Vinci Schools. At first glance, Karla is just a lunch lady for Da Vinci Schools. She works during breakfast time serving kids food to start the morning right. She then prepares for lunchtime and gets the snack stand ready which she manages. Then she clocks out at 2:30 a.m. and goes home and prepares for the next day of work, which for her starts at 6:30 a.m.

One might assume that she just makes and serves the food, but she is much more than that. Karla is a loving staff member of Da Vinci Schools who truly loves her students. She mentions many things that show this such as, “We won’t deny breakfast or lunch to any students even if they don’t have money.” Anyone who knows her can tell you that she is a very enthusiastic, funny and kind-hearted woman. She represents what DVC is all about and makes sure the students have the best lunch experience possible.

Karla and the other lunch ladies serving breakfast at 7:30 am. “We won’t deny breakfast or lunch to any students even if they don’t have any money,” she said. She explains how sometimes people don’t have the money or time to eat and she loves all her kids so if they’re hungry she’ll feed them.
Karla and the other lunch ladies getting ready to work as a team, to receive their hot lunch delivery at 9:30 a.m.
Karla receiving the hot chicken sandwiches from their head chief and truck driver Angela Guerrero.
Elizabeth and Karla preparing the cold lunches at 10:30 a.m. Every day Elizabeth prepares the parfaits and Karla prepares the salads. They all work together to have lunch ready by 12:00 p.m.
Karla setting up her snack stand, she separates each snack into their own basket. She also counts all her snacks to see what she starts with, what she ends withAnd she records this in her notebook. “I love being organized and knowing how much I sell,'' she says. Karla’s most sold items are the chocolate chip cookies that they bake every day in the kitchen.
Karla laughing with the security guards after one of them told her to “lower the volume” when she was singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to one of her students walking by. As well as being around the lunch ladies, Karla also spends time with the Security Guards who stand near her snack bar. They throw jokes around to keep each other laughing and Karla says they do this on a regular bases.
During lunch, Karla is telling a student he can not buy snacks since he owes money. She was put in charge of the snack stand because although Karla is a sweetheart she is also an enforcer, “I make them move the way I want them to move,” said Karla. She takes her job seriously and makes sure that the payment rules are followed.
Karla hands a student her snack. At the beginning of the school year, this same girl was getting bullied by 3 boys, one day her “momma instinct” came out and she told them to cut it out. “It made me feel good that I could help someone who doesn’t feel like they can speak up, I can tell when something is wrong and she needed me to speak out for her,” Karla said. She loves all her students but what she loves more is keeping them respectful towards one another.
Karla and the lunch ladies walking out the doors after clocking out at 2:30. “It’s time to go home and relax,” Karla says. Although she loves her job and working with the students she also loves relaxing at home with her beloved husband.
Karla Evaines-Barnett, Elizabeth Davila (middle), and Sylvia Williams (right) hugging it out and congratulating each other for getting through the day. “These are my sisters,” Karla says. She is proud to work with these ladies who she cares deeply about and has a special place in her heart for them.
Karla driving away at 2:40 pm, ready to see her husband when she gets home who is waiting for her with a home-cooked meal. Karla rest and awaits her next day of work.