Las Vegas school to rename cafeteria for worker who died

A Clark County School District food service worker who died after contracting COVID-19 in March will be memorialized by the school he worked at with a name change to the cafeteria.

Tears flowed at a meeting of the district’s School Naming Committee on Tuesday as members approved a request by Ronnow Elementary staff to name the school cafeteria after Ronaldo Cesa, who had worked there for over a decade before his death.

The district announced on April 2 that an employee who worked at the Desert Pines High School food distribution site during school closures had died after contracting the disease but did not identify Cesa by name.

Cesa’s colleagues requested the name change in honor of the cafeteria manager they described in letters as a fixture of the Ronnow campus, 1100 Lena St., and who ran an efficient kitchen operation and remembered the names and dietary needs of the students he served.

“He willingly placed himself at risk to provide breakfast and lunch to students once CCSD schools closed because he knew how much the children depended on this service,” teacher Kelleen Prue wrote. “In this respect, he literally gave his life in service to our children.”

Principal Michelee Quiroz Cruz-Crawfor said Cesa worked two full-time jobs to support his family in the Philippines and saw his cafeteria role as critical to feeding kids who would otherwise go hungry.

“Ronaldo will truly be missed and our whole community is devastated by his loss,” Cruz-Crawford wrote. “We are thankful for the light he put in our lives.”

As part of her letter, Cruz-Crawford also included a Facebook post written by Cesa on his birthday on March 20.

“During this challenging time, I got a privilege to be part of CCSD’s drive in handing out free meals around the valley to needy students due to the shutdown of Nevada schools,” Cesa wrote. “Despite CCSD’s temporary closure, I am thankful to come & serve in my special day.”

The name change was unanimously approved by the Ronnow School Organizational Team before it came before the committee and will now be sent to the School Board for final approval.