D228's EXCEL Program Faces Off in a Cooking Competition

Bremen High School District 228’s Functional Skills Program turned a foods and nutrition lesson into a team competition this past week. The class was split into two teams and competed in a fierce cooking competition against each other. The two teams, Team Savage and Team Cool battled it out to be April’s Golden Fork Winner. The Golden Fork judges judged the two teams in three areas: taste, presentation and teamwork. “I am extremely proud of all the students, they have really done a phenomenal job. It has been unbelievable to see the transformation the students have made since the beginning of the year,” said teacher Ms. Rachel Wnenk. It is the goal of the EXCEL program to increase independence and enhance academic and social skills. The Golden Fork provides this experience in an interactive and hands on approach. The teams were able to use the new aprons that were purchased with the generous donation from Bremen’s student group FCCLA’s bake sale. To make the competition even more exciting, EXCEL invited in several District 228 administrators to judge the competition: Superintendent Dr. Bill Kendall, Director of Special Education Mr. Matt Singer, and Administrative Assistant Ms. Marvenna Martin.

The EXCEL program’s overall mission is to develop functional academic skills, cultivate vocational skills, independent living skills, and improve social communication skills. “We had so much fun preparing for this competition, it was wonderful to be able to allow the students to show our guests what they have learned and how they put class work into practical use,” said Wnenk.

To find out more information about the District 228 Functional Skills Program contact teacher Ms. Wnenk at Rwnenk@bhsd228.com.