What's Cooking at Keigwin?

By Ellen R. Delisio

Where in Middletown will you find 10 tweens busy measuring, slicing, cooking (and eating) on a Wednesday afternoon?

In the Keigwin Middle School’s food lab, students in the 21st Century Community Learning Center’s (21stCCLC) cooking class are learning not just how to prepare healthy snacks, but how to eat more healthfully in general.

On this particular Wednesday, students were grilling wraps with sunflower butter, chocolate chips and bananas as well as mixing up a batch of fruit smoothies with fresh fruit and yogurt. The class voted this day’s snack the best so far, and they have fixed some tasty ones, including French toast and fruit salad.

“I think this is good, you learn new stuff about cooking,” said student Olivia Rigano, 11, about her experience in the class. Fruit salad was one of her favorite snacks and Olivia said she took leftovers home. If she weren’t in the afterschool program, Olivia added, “I’d be home doing homework, but this is more fun and some of my friends are here.”

Ruhi Haryadi, 10, agreed. “You get to eat what you cook and you cook healthy stuff,” she said. “I usually never get to cook at home. Now I want to cook with my mom.”

Cooking was one of the most popular 21st CCLC classes offered this fall; about 40 students asked to join, but the program could only accommodate 10, said Renee Gendreau, Keigwin’s 21st CCLC program coordinator. Students were selected for the class based in part on their academic and behavior records. Students in the 21st CCLC afterschool program spend half of their program time in academic enrichment that supports them in their school day learning, homework, and social and emotional development. The other part of their time is spent in a STEM-based enrichment class of their choice where students have an opportunity to apply their learning in new ways.

Among the goals of the six-week cooking class are to expose students to new foods and get them more involved in food preparation, said Kim Labbe, the classroom manager who works for cookingmatters.com. Labbe spends between 30-45 minutes on a lesson each class. “I try to teach kids about healthful snacking,” she said. “A lot of kids don’t know a lot about basic nutrition; I try to give them healthier snacking alternatives and things to try at home.”

De’Mia Rose-Daniels, 11, said the class is motivating her to cook more at home. “I want to be the next cook in my family; my brother is a chef,” De’Mia said. “I like coming to the class because you get to be more active and do more things. If I were home, I’d be sleeping and doing homework.”

The 21st Century Learners in Action Program has applied for a grant to extend the cooking program next year through a community garden project in which students would plant, cultivate and cook their own food.