New place, new flavors

Ivan Apanasenko and Alex Abrosimov whipped cream while Maria Rodriguez and Yorleni Sabillon sliced strawberries. Timofey Plevako, Reginnah Wleh and Nhat Minh Nguyen divided dough, and Thuy Duong’s name was drawn to wash dishes.

The English language development students at North Pines Middle School were learning how to make healthy whole-wheat cookies in their Food Sense class last week.

The 15 seventh- and eighth-graders meet weekly for the class offered by Washington State University, Spokane County Extension.

“Students practice their listening and speaking skills, and it’s easier for them because they’re in a low-stress environment with a group they are comfortable with,” said Betsy Casteel, ELD teacher at North Pines.

The students are from Russia, Vietnam, Mexico, Ukraine, Honduras, Colombia, India, Liberia and the Ivory Coast.

They learn social studies by becoming familiar with their classmates’ homelands, and they improve their math skills by converting recipes from the metric system to the U.S. system, said Casteel.

The students haven’t liked everything they’ve cooked in class. They weren’t crazy about a chicken casserole, but everyone has to take at least one bite, Casteel said. Tomato soup and toasted cheese sandwiches also got mixed reviews.

This is the first year the program has been offered specifically to the ELD classes. The Central Valley district began a partnership with the Food Sense program five years ago.

It started as an after-school program on nutrition, eating healthy and making healthy personal choices.

“We want kids to have exposure to nutrition through direct instruction. It really empowers kids,” said Mary Jo Buckingham, director of special programs for the district. “Some of these students are responsible for selecting and preparing food for themselves and their siblings. It gives middle school students options other than chips and McDonald’s hamburgers.”

Kelly Kern, the Food Sense coordinator who teaches the class, said, “The goal is to teach kids to become healthy eaters, and then they can take what they learn home and share it with their family.”

Casteel posts the recipes the class makes on her classroom Web site so that students and their families can try them at home.

“I like the way my mom makes the pork and rice recipe,” said seventh-grader Timofey Plevako. Fruit slushies are his favorite.

Students get extra credit if they bring a recipe from home to share. “If it meets the Food Sense nutritional criteria, or can be easily adapted so it does, we’ll make that in class,” said Kern.

Maria Rodriguez’s mom’s recipe for broiled potatoes was so popular it will be added to the WSU Food Sense recipe library.

Reginnah Wleh said she’s going to bring her family’s recipe for fu fu, a vegetable dish eaten in Liberia.

“This really gets the parents involved with school. The parents will be less shy. Food has a way of bringing people together,” said Buckingham.