Students at Marshall Elementary students who are participating in the 21st Century Afterschool Program are getting a hands-on experience. For some, they’re experiencing different things -- things they may not have had the chance to do, had it not been for the program. Some are exploring what they really want to do when they grow up.
In the Culinary Arts class taught by Tiffany Amos and Mandy Whitfield, students are learning life skills. Amos and Whitfield are teaching them simple recipes that the students will be able to make at home for their own families. These simple recipes can take them far.
Recently, students learned how to make pinwheels. A recipe calls for tortillas, cream cheese, shredded cheese and ham. The students have also learned how to make pancakes and eggs, grilled cheese, and breakfast sausage.
After the students sanitized their hands, Whitfield taught the students how to properly put on their gloves, and they got to work making their pinwheels, as Amos and Whitfield took them step-by-step. The students learned how to properly use a knife, safety measures, measuring, and using different ingredients to make a meal.
During the afterschool program, students are able to choose the activity in which they wish to participate. Other activities are art, dance, music, PE and archery.
London Fleming, 9, a fourth grader, said that she chose culinary arts because it teaches her more about what her mom, Latrese Fleming, does.
“My mom owns her own restaurant, and I chose culinary because I want to learn more so I can take it over from her,” Fleming said.
Braylon Campbell said that he enjoys coming to Culinary Arts. He said that he’s taken what he’s learned and applied it.
“Culinary Arts has really helped me,” Campbell said.
He said after learning how to make pancakes and eggs, he went home and made them for his family for breakfast.
Fleming comes into the class with knowledge of cooking, not everyone does. But, when they leave the class, they leave with recipes that they have learned.
“Every recipe that we do, I put in a recipe book for them, and they can take it home with them at the end of the class,” Amos said.
Marshall’s after school program, which runs similar to the afterschool and summer program at J.Z. George High School, will end this summer.
