On Friday, October 10th, staff gathered in the Amador library to begin their Staff Development day with a staff breakfast. Staff fueled up for the day while bonding with fellow teachers and faculty.
“The breakfast was very nourishing and provided energy to meet the discussions we had for the day,” said school librarian Erik Scherer.
A Morning Made by Students
Amador Valley High School holds staff development meetings weekly on Wednesday mornings. On Friday, Culinary students decided to treat the teachers to a special breakfast.
“Julia Ford, Steven Dady, the Culinary Arts Department, and the students provided all the breakfast. [They] did the setup, the cooking, took the order, they did it [all]. It was amazing,” said Principal Malcolm Norrington.
Hands-On Learning Experience
The breakfast featured a variety of nutritional foods such as breakfast burritos, yogurt, and bagels.
“My role in the staff breakfast was basically preparing the food, setting up the tables as well as making sure everything was in order in the place it needed to be. I made sure everything was also stocked up, of course,” said Shein Bnoit (‘27).
Culinary students helping out at the Staff Meeting Breakfast earned senior service hours for their work. In addition to senior service hours, they gained valuable insights into real-time working conditions that come with a career in the catering industry.
“The highlight of it all for me was honestly just getting an experience to actually learn how to behave and react to things that happen. It takes a lot to actually manage the entire table and the staff breakfast. We were running through a lot of stress,” said Bnoit.
Students interested in the Culinary pathway can choose from a variety of classes. Amador offers courses in Baking and Pastry, Culinary Skills, Catering, and Honors Culinary and Catering. Students have to take a regular-level culinary arts course to qualify for the honors level.
Building Community
“[The Staff Breakfasts] show a sense of respect for the teachers, and it just gets them ready for the day,” said Scherer.
Though Culinary does not provide breakfast for the staff every week, students and parents have the option to contribute. They do this through the I’d Love to Provide Breakfast for Our Teachers form.
“Food is one of the great unifiers, so it brings people together. Food communicates community, but it also helps to create community. So I think one thing it does is it gives the staff the opportunity to get here a little bit early and to sit with one another and just to be in the community with one another,” said Norrington.
