Crookston School District Food Service Director Emily Scheresky has received the North Dakota Young Recognized Dietitian of the Year Award after her work for the benefit of dietitians in the state of North Dakota.
Scheresky works as the state policy representative for the North Dakota Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and worked on important legislation last session that eventually passed. “I worked alongside some local legislators to pass what’s called a licensure compact for dietitians in the state of North Dakota which essentially makes it easier for dietitians to practice across state lines so it was a national effort,” said Scheresky. “I worked alongside North Dakotans and worked alongside the National Academy as well to be one of the states that would pass this compact the benefits for the compact make it easier for people who are dietitians to practice across state lines.”
Scheresky said it’s a benefit to rural communities who only have medical nutrition therapy resources via telehealth. It also helps military families who will have an easier time transitioning across states to go live wherever they get stationed and still practice dietetics. The legislation passed with the help of Scheresky. “So we needed at least seven states to pass the legislation in order for the compact to get taken into effect. So now that has happened. So now we are working on kind of creating what that compact looks like and like the logistics behind it,” said Scheresky.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Scheresky got started during her undergraduate studies as an intern with Burley County Public Health in the Bismarck, North Dakota, area. “One of the dieticians there was on the North Dakota Academy at the time. She got me in contact with the public policy panel there. I got to sit in on some meetings. And once I graduated, they asked me to join the board,” said Scheresky. “I joined the board as a state policy representative. And then this came to fruition through the National Academy.”
GETTING THE LEGISLATION PASSED
As you would expect, it takes a lot of work to get legislation passed. “It takes a lot of teaching and education to local legislators just on what a dietitian does, why this is needed, as well as the benefits to the community,” said Scheresky. “On paper, it might not seem like it’s something that really changes the day-to-day life of a typical rural North Dakotan or rural person across the country. But by providing examples as to what dietitians do and what people across rural North Dakota face with the lack of medical nutrition therapy and with a lack of dietitians on their local clinic staff, or how far it takes them to get to a hospital, that kind of thing. Providing concrete examples really helped us pass that legislation.”
CROOKSTON SCHOOL DISTRICT FOOD SERViCES IS HIRING
The Crookston School District is seeking to hire up to three cooks at Highland Elementary School to replace retiring cooks who have served the district for many years.
“I am currently hiring for three positions. We’ve got some retirements in the works, which is sad, but I’m very happy for them as well. They’ve put a lot of years, experience, and passion into these positions, so I’m really happy for them, and they’ve done a great job,” said Scheresky. “I’ve got a kitchen helper position right now. At Highland Elementary School, there are positions for an assistant cook and a head cook.“
For more information on the openings, you can call Scheresky at 218-281-5313 ext. 2110 or email emilyscheresky@isd593.org.
