By Leo Bremond
As students flock into school at 8:20 to eat warm cranberry muffins and oatmeal with fresh fruit, they exchange morning pleasantries with Flora Raymondi, catering staff member here at LREI, who greets them from behind the counter.
This is an everyday occurrence for many. But what they don’t see is the work and story that goes into making their everyday morning experiences occur.
Raymondi begins her day at LREI at 7:00 a.m. She prepares the fruit and vegetables for the salad bar. She stocks the fridge with milk and yogurt, fills the bread box, prepares snacks and eventually serves lunch. Once lunch is over, she cleans the salad bar and service line, and prepares what she can for the next day.
Senior Matan Levine-Janach is grateful for Flora’s work over the past four years he has attended the school. “I know my time at the school would have looked very different if it weren’t for Flora,” he said. Senior Karla Majdancic also feels appreciative for the staff at the school. “The staff is such a key to having a productive school,” Majdancic said.
In interviews, the EI community expressed respect for the staff and the everyday work they provide for the students. Many students interact with the staff daily, knowing each other’s names and describing how their weekend went. However, for many, this conversation rarely moves beyond small talk.
“There is a language barrier between Flora and I as well as a lot of the staff at EI,” senior Wim Pardoe said.
The interactions are often brief. “It has not been very personal,” Majdancic said about her conversations with Flora. So with the help of Eric Baer, the Chef Manager of LREI, who translated Flora’s words from Spanish to English, an EI reporter sought to learn more about the person so many of us look forward to seeing each morning.
Raymondi grew up “milking cows and lived in a small community” in Peru. One day, she moved to the United States along with her four children to join her husband who was already settled in New York. This was the first time she had left Peru. Once she arrived, she worked a series of different jobs: working in a deli, at babysitting jobs, at McDonalds, in a factory, and now at LREI. Over her time in the United States she has been through some tough times, she says, and gained wisdom that she wished to share with students.
“I sometimes see students that are sad, or stressed, because of an exam or a class that is giving them trouble,” Raymondi said. “I want them to know that no matter how difficult things can seem, nothing is too hard to overcome.” Three months after she arrived in this new world, her husband passed away. “I was in a strange country that seemed like another world to me,” Raymondi said. “I was from the mountains in Peru.” She did not speak English and had to now take care of her four children on her own. “Sometimes life is hard, but there is always a way,” Raymondi said.
In interviews, students, along with the entire LREI community, expressed their gratitude for the work that the staff puts in to make our everyday lives at the school better. Students sense the care and love Raymondi puts into her work.
And it is that gratitude that stands out to Raymondi looking back on her time here at EI. One moment in particular stands out to her. A couple of years ago, as the seniors neared their final moments of high school before their graduation ceremony, Raymondi, along with the EI catering staff, prepared a grand buffet in the PAC filled with a lavish assortment of LREI delicacies: Moroccan chicken stew, salmon with dill oil, beef tacos, and more. When the staff opened the curtains to reveal the food, students started chanting “Flora, Flora, Flora!”
“I was very proud that day,” Raymondi said.
Wim Pardoe, who attended this banquet, reflected on the special moment. “I thought that was pretty cool because they don’t really get enough admiration,” Pardoe said. “It was nice that they got credit that they deserve because they work really hard.”
Raymondi’s love for her work is apparent in her everyday enthusiasm around school. “I enjoy greeting everyone each day,” she said. “I like seeing the students and teachers, knowing that when they are happy with their lunch my work took part in that happiness.”