District 228 Students Gain Real-World Skills Through Hands-On Pizza-Making Experience

Summer school students at Bremen High School combined learning with teamwork during a unique pizza-making event that brought together incoming freshmen in Personal Finance and students in the school's EXCEL Program.

The experience, made possible through a partnership with Hillcrest High School teacher and S&T Pizza co-owner Ed Schodrof, gave students the opportunity to prepare nearly 60 personal pizzas while building practical life and workplace skills.

For incoming freshmen enrolled in Personal Finance, the event served as a celebration of completing summer school and getting a head start on graduation requirements. At the same time, students in Bremen's EXCEL Program applied vocational skills by assembling, preparing and serving lunch for both classes.

"It is not just assembling and making pizza, rather it's working on a variety of skills that will eventually lead to future success with employment and independent living," said Rachel Wnenk, Bremen High School EXCEL teacher. "Students focus on time management, social skills, fine motor skills, comprehension, safety and problem-solving. Through hands-on activities, we can gain a deeper understanding and develop real-world functional skills."

Working together, EXCEL students practiced filling work orders, identifying ingredients and following recipes, while Personal Finance students experienced the value of community, collaboration and celebrating academic achievement.

"The EXCEL program is preparing and cooking pizzas for both classrooms," Schodrof said. "They're assembling every pizza and providing lunch for everyone. If you can intertwine fun into the equation, you win."

For S&T Pizza, the event was also an opportunity to invest in the local community and support student learning beyond the classroom.

"We like to be tied into the community as much as possible," said Michael DeQuattro, chief operations officer for S&T Pizza. "We like to keep our touch as a family-owned business across the board, and this demonstrates that we're more than just a place that has customers."

About Bremen High School District 228

Bremen High School District 228 is located in the southwest suburbs of Chicago and serves the communities of Midlothian, Posen, Tinley Park, Markham, Hazel Crest, Country Club Hills and Oak Forest. District 228 serves over 5,000 students and employs 800 full and part-time staff members. Bremen High School, in Midlothian, opened its doors to students in September of 1953. Since then, District 228 opened three additional schools. Tinley Park High School opened in 1961; Hillcrest High School, in Country Club Hills, opened in 1967; and Oak Forest High School opened in 1970. For more information, please visit https://www.bhsd228.com/