Eighth-grade students at CVMS are learning real-life skills in Alexa Price’s family and consumer science classes, including kitchen safety.
“We take kitchen safety seriously,” said Ms. Price, as her students were recently performing a walking lab to identify kitchen hazards.
The kitchens looked like crime scenes, complete with yellow caution tape. There were 10 different crime scene markers. Students had to identify the hazards and correct the situation. Then, they answered follow-up questions concerning knife safety, cross contamination, slips and falls.
The students used what they learned in the previous few weeks about kitchen safety from videos, talking and lessons. They identify each hazard and make note of what it is and how to correct it.
For example, metal in the microwave, open cabinet drawers and doors, frying pan handles facing the wrong way. The students identified them and corrected them on their clipboard lists.
It’s not just Ms. Price who takes the kitchen safety seriously – the students do too! They must score an 80 or better on the quiz in order to go to the next step in the class – cooking! And they’re all looking forward to that.
Ms. Price, who is a culinary school graduate, doesn’t limit her lessons to the kitchen. She also teaches other skills, including finance, nutrition, laundry, sewing and the food pyramid. Hanging outside her classroom are dinner plates with examples of healthy meals, put together by her students. They show balanced meals and in class they discuss how important eating right is to their health. They also have a display about sugar – how much sugar is in their favorite drinks, energy drinks, soda and sports drinks. It’s pretty eye-opening!
She is the advisor to the culinary club at CVMS. Sixty-four kids have shown interest in joining – a tremendous number! She will do multiple sessions to accommodate them.
“My goal is to instill a couple of life skills,” said Ms. Price, “like how to write a check, career readiness, being aware of their digital footprint.”
Goal accomplished!