35-point
jump in HappyIndex within months
20,000+
student responses collected
Engaged
students sharing their opinion
Daily feedback
drives continuous meal and service improvements
Building a stronger student experience through food
Founded in 1953, Greensville County Public Schools (GCPS) serves just over 2,000 students across three schools in Virginia. Their mission, “Cultivating Excellence, Transforming Lives, and Impacting Futures,” guides their commitment to creating a positive and empowering educational environment.
For the GCPS School Nutrition Team, that mission extends to the cafeteria. Providing high-quality meals was important, but so was making students feel heard, engaged, and supported in every aspect of their school day. The department wanted to offer not just nourishment, but an experience that students actually looked forward to.
Too many unknowns, not enough voices
Despite the team’s strong commitment to student well-being, they lacked a reliable, scalable way to understand how students felt about the dining experience
As a result, the team often found themselves making assumptions rather than decisions based on solid data. They needed a solution that would engage students daily, collect meaningful feedback, and provide actionable insights. Without that, it was nearly impossible to know what needed fixing – or whether recent changes were making a difference.
“Before HappyOrNot we relied on word of mouth and paper surveys.” MaRendia says. “But paper surveys are hard to tally, and when you talk to the students, it’s difficult for them to give you honest feedback face to face.”
A simple tool for real-time, high-volume feedback
In August 2024, GCPS implemented three HappyOrNot Smiley devices—two Smiley Terminals and one Smiley Touch—across their schools. The simplicity of the tool made it easy and even fun for students to participate. Rather than asking students to fill out forms, the Smiley buttons allowed them to give feedback on the spot, as part of their daily routine.
The solution was instantly more inclusive and representative, offering a daily snapshot of how students felt about meals, service, and the cafeteria experience overall. With that consistency and volume, the Food and Nutrition team could start making more informed and responsive decisions.
“On the elementary level, students were excited because of the faces. They know if they liked it, they hit the green face. If they didn’t, they could hit the red face. On the high school level, just knowing that they could leave feedback on how they felt and be listened to made them happy.”
Happier students, better decisions, stronger engagement
Since rolling out HappyOrNot, GCPS has collected more than 20,000 feedback responses and seen its Happy Index jump from 53 to 87. That increase reflects not just improved meals, but a more responsive and student-centered dining program.
The team now tracks trends daily and can adjust menus, service flow, or staffing in near real time. If students indicate that they don’t like a food option, it can be immediately removed from the offering
More importantly, students have become active participants in shaping their dining experience. They feel that their voices matter, and they’re seeing their feedback lead to visible change. For example, when students requested a flavor station, the School Nutrition Team could quickly act on it to improve the dining experience for the students. What began as a way to collect insights has become a core part of the district’s culture of listening and improvement.
“I would say it’s one of the best decisions that I’ve made because it allows us to be innovative and to actually be student centered.”
About Greensville County Public Schools
Greensville County Public Schools is a public school district located in Virginia, USA, serving over 2,000 students across three schools. Established in 1953, the district is guided by the mission to cultivate excellence, transform lives, and impact futures. Learn more about Greensville County Public Schools.