Cutting Edge Students

I have actually been to this school before when I assisted to build a Good Food Garden (a partnership between Share Our Strength, Food Network, Teich Garden Systems and Readers Digest). This Garden was one of five such gardens that were granted around the country to schools and/or after-school facilities to teach children about gardening so they become more familiar with where their food comes from as well as various ways in which healthy foods can be made and enjoyed!

When we arrived, there were several projects that we assisted with around the school. One was in the same area as the Garden, to weed and clean-up around it — including assisting with cleaning out an old worn-down greenhouse right near the Garden. It is obvious that the greenhouse has not been used much and especially with the Garden now in existence, as well as the school’s renowned Careers through Culinary Arts Program, it would be extremely beneficial to have a functioning greenhouse to add to those programs. Also in that area we had some volunteers assemble two benches to allow visitors to take in the beautiful garden, as well as construct some lovely birdhouses to be hung in the Garden.

The second project was revitalizing some planters outside the main entrance to the school, that is not currently being used but set to be opened in the coming months. Everyone pitched in to re-pot some existing planters and added some beautifully additions as well.

The third project was assisting a local volunteer artist who sketched five small paintings around the walls to the school’s cafeteria — all involving fruits and vegetables. He had outlined the paintings as he envisioned them and numerous volunteers set forward to bring his visions to life — mixing colors and creating bright additions to an otherwise dreary basement cafeteria.

At the end of our visit, we were led through the school’s Culinary Arts Center which was very impressive, to say the least, by Ms. Iris Wilson who coordinates D.C. Public Schools’ Academy of Hospitality and Tourism. There is a whole wing of the school dedicated to this program — a $1.5 million facility that includes a full-scale commercial kitchen, a bakery, a 100-seat cafe and a mock hotel lobby complete with front desk and an industry-standard guest-registration system.

This program now pushes students to graduate with both a high school diploma and professional certification, to better enable the students to enter the industry. Just this spring, a student that was a part of the program participated in a national competition and won an $80,000 scholarship to a culinary school! The baking chef was also present with us and his passion and commitment to the students was clearly visible, as he spoke about helping supply them with life skills and ensuring they are self-sufficient. The four Cutting Edge students on our trip loved this! Cutting Edge is a program associated with our Conference, thanks to the generosity of Zwilling J.A. Henckels, that allows us to invite 15 of the top culinary students in the nation to learn more about Share Our Strength and enable them to become the next generation of culinary leaders focused on ending childhood hunger.

It doesn’t get much more in-line with Share Our Strength — who we are and what we do — than the school’s culinary program! We all were able to share our strength, whether on our knees in the garden, planting with our hands, shoveling soil, or painting murals, we did what we could towards what needed to be done. No on questioned or complained about the work to do, instead we all dove into the project that most interested us. Knowing that all that we were doing, from assembling bird houses to coloring in the lines, was helping and allowing the students to have a better experience while at school — and obtaining access towards a better life. We all rolled up our sleeves and contributed towards ending childhood hunger.

All while getting to know each other and seeing what strengths we all have to share.