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Secret City Academy students showcase hands-on cooking program at board meeting
Summary
Oak Ridge middle school students demonstrated a cooking program that began with a UT College of Agriculture grant and has been expanded by staff to teach seventh- and eighth-grade students life skills and meal preparation.
The Oak Ridge Board of Education received a presentation and food tasting from Secret City Academy highlighting a student cooking program that district staff said started about a year and a half ago.
A district speaker described how the program began after the UT College of Agriculture ran a grant program that placed graduate students in schools to teach nutrition and healthy eating. The district then hired Shonda Slater, who expanded the work into an ongoing in‑school program: “On Wednesdays, she has been working with our seventh and eighth grade students, doing a small block during the day, and making things from scratch,” the presenter said.
Students have practiced sautéing, baking and working with kitchen equipment. The board was offered a pot pie prepared by PJ Cherry, who the presenter said came in during summer vacation to cook for the meeting. The presenter noted significant positive parent feedback when students brought prepared meals home, and emphasized that the program gives students “great life skills.”
Ending
Board members praised the program and its reported benefits for students and families. No policy or budget decision was made during the presentation; the item was presented as a special program showcase.
