Your Menu, Your Way
Creators: Michelle, Korebat & Emmani
School: Middle School Students from Staten Island School of Civic Leadership
Location: Staten Island, NY
Project Themes: Education
About this Project
Your Menu Your Way is a student driven app that lets students vote on meals. Students will select lunches, that they will enjoy and like. Our app gives students voice and reduces food waste.
Project Links
Professional Feedback
What's awesome-
You backed up a real problem with real data, 530,000 tons of food waste, $1.7 billion per year, and then went further by interviewing actual classmates. That's exactly how apps get built professionally. Sofia's story about depending on school lunch and still going hungry is the kind of detail that makes people care.
You didn't just design an app in a vacuum, you acknowledged it has to work within NYC DOE menu rules. That's a sign you're thinking about real-world constraints, not just what looks good in a prototype.
You also thought beyond the app itself. The social media campaign shows you're already thinking about adoption, how do you get students to actually use this?
To make it even stronger-
One sentence answering: who acts on the votes? "We'd share weekly results with our school's food service coordinator" connects student voice to real decision-makers and makes the whole concept feel actionable.
Great work, Michelle, Korebat, and Emmani!
You backed up a real problem with real data, 530,000 tons of food waste, $1.7 billion per year, and then went further by interviewing actual classmates. That's exactly how apps get built professionally. Sofia's story about depending on school lunch and still going hungry is the kind of detail that makes people care.
You didn't just design an app in a vacuum, you acknowledged it has to work within NYC DOE menu rules. That's a sign you're thinking about real-world constraints, not just what looks good in a prototype.
You also thought beyond the app itself. The social media campaign shows you're already thinking about adoption, how do you get students to actually use this?
To make it even stronger-
One sentence answering: who acts on the votes? "We'd share weekly results with our school's food service coordinator" connects student voice to real decision-makers and makes the whole concept feel actionable.
Great work, Michelle, Korebat, and Emmani!
I knew I would love this app as soon as I read the "About This Project" section. Having worked in public schools for over 20 years, I've seen firsthand the problems you identified - food waste, crowded/rushed lunch periods, and students not having enough time to finish their meals. I also appreciate that you considered teachers and paraprofessionals who often spend their lunch periods helping students and end up eating school lunches themselves. Your tagline, "Made for Your Taste," and logo are both excellent. I also like the use of icons, which can make the app more accessible for students with reading or visual challenges. One suggestion: in the Competitors section, you might explain that while some schools offer menu choices, there are very few solutions that address these specific challenges in the way your app does. Overall, this is an innovative idea with real-world impact. In fact, I think school leaders should take a serious look at it! Fantastic job! 👏🍎🎉
