New items include turkey gumbo, teriyaki bowls and more
In Arlington ISD, students aren’t just the customers in the cafeteria, they’re the creators behind the menu. 
That’s the heart of the district’s innovative By Students 4 Students (BS4S) program. Now in its fourth year, BS4S gives students the opportunity to shape what ends up on lunch trays across the district from the ingredients to the final dish.
This year’s 2025 BS4S Showcase marked the biggest one yet. Culinary students from Arlington High School, Bowie High School, Martin High School, Seguin High School, the Dan Dipert Career and Technical Center and – for the first time – Sam Houston High School, gathered at the food and nutrition services building to share their student-designed dishes. 
“It’s a truly student-driven menu,” said Arlington ISD executive director of food and nutrition services David Lewis. “This really is the full circle.”
The event is the result of a year-long process. It starts with taste-testing basic ingredients across elementary and junior high campuses, gathering data from hundreds of students to determine what makes the cut. From there, those ingredients are passed to the district’s high school culinary programs, where students are challenged to transform them into menu-ready meals while meeting strict USDA guidelines.
“We’re not just looking at taste,” Lewis added. “We’re collecting how easy it is to replicate these dishes across 76 campuses and making sure everything meets USDA regulations.” 
This year’s showcase highlighted new menu items like lemon pepper fried chicken, New Orleans style chicken and turkey gumbo, breakfast sandwiches, teriyaki bowls, vegetarian lasagna and more!
For students like Arlington High School sophomore Jayden Sosa, being part of BS4S is more than just cooking – it’s about connection.
“I feel like I’m a bridge between what the students want and what we get to serve them,” Sosa said. “It’s cool to see the inside of what we’re working with but still have the freedom to give the kids what they want.”
Of course, creating school-appropriate meals isn’t always easy. 
“There are some challenges,” Sosa admitted. “But overall, we put some creativity into it, and we got it down pretty well.”
That creativity was on full display with original student concepts like the McArlie (maple butter breakfast sandwich), a custom creation inspired by school pride and tradition.
“We added our school pride and tradition to make a McArlie,” Sosa said. “It’s something new, something for the kids, something they’ll want to eat!”
That’s the power of the BS4S program – putting students in the driver’s seat for their dining experience and proving that when students are part of the process, everyone wins.