SOUTH EASTON — Superintendent Luis Lopes and Principal Leslie Weckesser are pleased to announce that the Southeastern Regional Culinary Arts program has been awarded a grant through The Rachael Ray Foundation and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
The ProStart Grow Grant, in the amount of $5,000, will be used to purchase a Tower Garden for the Culinary Arts program, which students will use to grow fresh herbs and greens to serve in the school-run Boot and Shovel Café.
A Tower Garden will allow students to grow plants with fewer resources, in less time and inside the classroom. Tower gardens use LED indoor lights and are aeroponic systems, which don’t require soil.
Southeastern sophomore and current SkillsUSA State Officer-Elect Kayla Mathieu and junior Rylee Smith assisted Culinary Arts and Hospitality Dining Room Instructor Caryn Peterson in completing the grant application.
“Our program has a great partnership with the Natural and Life Sciences program, which provides us with many of the items they grow, however our students have expressed interest in learning how to grow their own food as we learn about sustainability, and a Tower Garden will help them do that,” Peterson said. “Using the Tower Garden to grow our own herbs and greens will also help us to offset the rising cost of food and provide more of a farm-to-table type of experience for guests at the café.”
Southeastern is one of 38 high schools from across the country to receive one of the $5,000 grants to support ProStart culinary and restaurant management programs. ProStart is a two-year career and technical education program that focuses on culinary arts and restaurant management. Grow Grant funds allow schools to become part of the ProStart program or strengthen their existing program, enhance their classrooms and support teachers in helping their students learn career-building skills in the restaurant, foodservice and hospitality industry.
“Congratulations to Chef Peterson, Kayla and Rylee for their work on this grant application, which will provide a great opportunity for our Culinary Arts students to expand their hands-on work and culinary experiences,” Principal Weckesser said. “We are grateful to The Rachael Ray Foundation and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation for their support of our students’ vocational education.”
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