 |
| A student prepares food at the Blackville School After School Cooking Program |
A seven week after school cooking program is being offered to students at Blackville School as an extracurricular activity.
The program is designed to help teach high school students about healthy eating, meal preparation, food safety and budgeting. Students will be better prepared when they are out on their own and have to cook their own meals.
“It’s a really fun and good program,” said Grade 11 student Kolby Harris. “It’s a good experience, and you get to learn lots of new and interesting things, ” he added.
The group meets every Wednesday night in the Home Ec room where they stay for about two and a half to three hours. They have snacks, play games, participate in discussions and even get to cook a new recipe each week. Each student also gets a copy of the recipe. This is their third week into the program, and so far it has been well received.
Dr. Tiffany Keenan and NBCC-Miramichi students Jenna Colford and Marcey Jardine are coordinating the program as part of the Community and School Wellness Initiative.
The program is open to grade 10-12 students. The current student had to fill out a multiple choice questionnaire about their eating and cooking lifestyle and fill out a registration form.
The group meets every Wednesday night in the Home Ec room where they stay for about two and a half to three hours. They have snacks, play games, participate in discussions and even get to cook a new recipe each week. Each student also gets a copy of the recipe. This is their third week into the program, and so far it has been well received.
Dr. Tiffany Keenan and NBCC-Miramichi students Jenna Colford and Marcey Jardine are coordinating the program as part of the Community and School Wellness Initiative.
 |
| Students in the Cooking Program: Back (l-r): Ashton O'Donnell, Kaelyn Hallihan, Camryn Donovan, Aimee Sturgeon, Kali Nicholson, Colby Harris Front (l-r): Samantha Stockless, Heidi Storey, Payten Jardine |
The program is only designed for 12-14 students, so if interest grows there may be an application letter that will need to be written if students are interested in joining next year. There is also some discussion on recognizing the extra-curricular activity as a credit for graduation.
This cooking program is a highly entertaining and educational way of teaching students how to fend for themselves without the need to head out for fast food.
In only three weeks the students have learned about food safety, healthy eating, how to cook in bulk, and how long to leave food in the fridge. Registration forms will be made available to students who are interested in the next school year's program.
For more photos from the program, click here.
For more photos from the program, click here.
Article and photos by Jules Keenan