The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Grace Snell Middle students get cooking
Learning new skills and recipes attracts many to new club.
As the parent outreach liaison at Grace Snell Middle School in Gwinnett, Kimberly Arenas provides parents with resources around writing resumes and printing documents as well as math and language arts skills. But she has an unofficial job as well.
“I’m the grandmom of the school, so to say,” she said. “I’m the one who bakes a cake for someone’s birthday. So when the principal wanted to start some social activities for kids, my name was suggested to sponsor a club.”
For inspiration, Arenas turned to what she loves best: cooking and eating.
“My favorite place on earth is sitting around the table with my kids, laughing and eating,” she said. “Fast food goes quick, but when you’re cooking and eating what you’ve poured love into, that keeps your family coming back.”
Last fall, Arenas prepped for the club to launch with about a half-dozen students. More than 50 showed up.
“I had to turn people away,” she said. “It was crazy that so many kids wanted to join.”
Students were asked to contribute $10 that financed the purchase of spatulas and griddles. Arenas pulled reci- pes that required measuring, mixing and following directions, and the club kicked off by making pancakes in the art room. When the volume of cooking overwhelmed the electrical supply, the cafeteria manager offered the school’s kitchen. Now in that location, about 30
kids have been showing up after school once a month to cook. Arenas often has a half-dozen teachers volun- teering to handling recipes that require the ovens.
The program recently expanded with a $5,000 grant from Walton EMC that bought mixers, bowls, two-burner hot plates, table- cloths, spices, oils, pots and utensils.
“Potato peelers and shredders were new to some stu- dents who had never peeled a potato,” said Arenas. “The goal is to be practical so stu- dents learn to make things and satisfy themselves.”
Learning new skills and reci- pes was the attraction for eighth grader Alena Leichmann.
“I like baking cakes and cupcakes, but I’ve a lso learned how to cut onions and slice vegetables,” she
said. “That was really cool. I have a new taco recipe I plan on making, too. And around Christmas, we made cookies that were delicious. I’d never done that before.”
Lessons also covered various ways to prepare eggs and how to put together a salad with made-from-scratch dressing. And after each session, students and teachers sit down to enjoy a meal.
“Th e stude nt s love to eat and share what they’re making,” said Arenas. “So many see cooking as creative, and they’re emailing parents about what they’re making. I tell them family is the most important thing, and sharing like this is the stuff that makes memories.”