Soon students at H.D. Stafford Middle will be able to learn in an industrial style kitchen, the type of room you would find at a restaurant or hotel. The school's foods classroom has undergone a full renovation over the last few months which is now complete.
"The renovation has been amazing," said Doug Lane, Foods Teacher at H.D. Stafford.
"Taking it from a space that clearly needed some work into a space that was designed for the school, for this population, for this age group. It has no wasted space going through the whole thing and has everything we need."
The pink laminate countertops which were installed when the school was previously a secondary school have been replaced with black laminate and stainless steel tables, among other changes.
"Seven stations, stainless steel tables, an entire station for any of the students that are in a wheelchair; they can participate just as much."
The classroom was designed to be "flexible," with the ability for the tables to be moved around to suit the needs of the class. There are new refrigerators, ovens, microwaves, and a dishwashing station. The front of the classroom has a camera set-up with a TV screen for students to watch interactive demonstrations up close.
Lane is in the process of moving into the new classroom in the next week and is looking forward to inspiring students to build a positive relationship with food and learning the skills to foster good nutrition.
"I'm really excited about what the next steps in that kitchen are going to be," remarked Lane.
He has shared his passion for food and has helped students learn how to cook for years. He enjoys seeing how proud they are when "they want to share with someone else."
"They love what they're doing, and they're sharing what they're doing, and they're doing something brand new, and they have to call their friend over from halfway across the class. You've got to try this thing!'"
The new classroom benefits more than just students. The financial support for the renovation came from the Ministry of Education and Child Care's Feeding Futures fund. With that comes plans for the school to use the space to help support meal programs at the school and elsewhere in the community. Although initiatives are still in the works, ideas may include providing baked goods to nearby elementary schools or offering cooking classes for families.
"I also think for the community I want to expand the space and be able to serve things within our community space, for other classes, so different kinds of learnings can happen, and I'm curious what other lessons can be learned here before school, after school, and really seeing what that looks like," added Lane.
Programs involving the use of the kitchen to feed and nourish the community is expected to begin in the Fall 2024.
"Creating such a beautiful and functional space was not an easy task," said John Hantke, principal of H.D. Stafford Middle.
"We are so grateful to the District's maintenance crew for doing a fantastic job. I know this space will be used to serve our school and the greater community for many years to come!"
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