College, school teaming on program

PEARCY — Lake Hamilton High School and the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College have become partners in the culinary arts and hospitality management.

The high school students can earn up to 15 hours of college credit in those areas.

Amanda Porter, family and consumer sciences teacher at Lake Hamilton, said the high school established its first “pocket academy” during the 2016-17 school year for food production programs of study.

She took students to Pulaski Tech’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute in Little Rock each year. She said she wanted them to “see the possibilities and schools where they could go after they gain skills here, if they wanted to further their education and go that direction.”

Principal Frank Stapleton said the Lake Hamilton administration supported the project. The district previously announced plans to implement four or five full career academies with multiple programs of study by the 2018-19 school year.

The high school modified its courses to align with Pulaski Tech programs. Students must fulfill all of the prerequisites of family and consumer sciences, food safety, and food and nutrition to take the final course: food production, management and services.

Students are able to test and earn the ServSafe Manager certification administered by the National Restaurant Association and accredited by the American National Standards Institute-Conference for Food Protection. ServSafe training and certification is the most recognized by federal, state and local jurisdictions, Porter said.

More than 90 students are currently enrolled in the credit-eligible courses, including more than a dozen in the final course.