Cooking in Juneau Middle Schools
Donation protected
Friends and family, the cooking classes at Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School in Juneau need help! The school budget for this year only provides $0.20 per student per 90-minute cooking lab. It’s nowhere near enough to buy ingredients - the actual cost to run a lab is closer to $2.34 per student. I am reaching out to local businesses and donors, but I’m also hoping that you (yes, you!) can help.
I know that with so many worthy causes out there, it can be difficult to choose where to give. This one is worth it. For a modest $50 per student per semester, we can help a substantial number of Juneau’s 7th and 8th graders develop the knowledge and skills they will need to stay healthy as they become the ones responsible for their own shopping, cooking and eating.
They already have most of the “ingredients” they need: the kitchen classroom setup is awesome, and they have a fantastic teacher. They just need the food ingredients!
An investment now will help instill the lifelong pleasure that comes from cooking and eating real, delicious food vs. junk food, fast food and unhealthy to-go meals, introduce kids to jobs and careers in the culinary field, and make a dent in future costs of obesity-related illness.
I’ve tried to answer some questions I thought people might have in the paragraphs below. Please let me know if you have any other questions or ideas about how we can meet our goal. Literally any contribution will help, and so will sharing this page with your own networks.
I will keep this page updated with our progress.
Thank you so much!
-Jess
Funding Needs Spreadsheet:
This is my first time using a gofundme page. Here’s how it works:
- Donate online in any amount. I will electronically transfer the funds raised to my bank account and then directly to the school/life skills program.
- You can send a check to the school: Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School, 1600 Renninger St, Juneau, AK 99801. Checks should be made out to DHMS and should note that they are for the Life Skills program. This is the only way to make your donation tax-deductible; gofundme makes it easy to give online but doesn’t provide for tax-deductible giving.
- You can read more about how it works here: https://www.gofundme.com/questions/ , or if you have a specific question please message me and I’ll get back to you.
Why am I involved?
The teacher is a good friend of mine. She told me how little money she has to work with this year, and once I got over being shocked I decided to try to help. I’ve been in the classroom and have seen for myself how engaged the kids are; it’s such a good hands-on break from their usual classroom setting. I think it’s hard to overstate how important and empowering it is for them to learn how to take care of themselves and their families via healthy cooking.
Who are the students?
They are 7th and 8th graders attending DHMS, a public school, who have chosen to take the class. There are both boys and girls. About 1 of 5 students at DHMS is of Native Alaskan heritage. Overall at DHMS, 29% qualify for free or reduced lunches; about 22 out of the 76 life skills students this semester are eligible for free or reduced lunches.
What is the classroom like?
The setup is awesome! There are 6 complete kitchens with about 4 students working in each. Average class size is 25 students and there are 3 different classes. They meet for 45 minutes on Mondays, when they learn about nutrition, food safety & sanitation, and whatever topics they will be focusing on in the cooking labs that week. Every class then meets for two 90-minute labs during the rest of the week. The class lasts for one semester, about 16 weeks, so there are about 32 labs that every student gets to do, plus the 45 minute classroom sessions at the beginning of each week. There is enough time for students to learn to be comfortable in a kitchen and how to continue to progress independently once the semester is over. Bonus: the kids get to eat everything they cook - there are never leftovers.
Can the class get food donated by local grocery stores?
So far this hasn’t really worked out. If you or someone you know has a way to get ingredients the class needs donated directly, please let me know! In the meantime, the school’s tax-exempt status helps, and the teacher uses coupons and shops sales whenever possible, but the ingredients still cost money.
How did you calculate costs to come up with the funding goal?
The teacher checked current costs around town for the ingredients and supplies required for a handful of representative cooking labs the class does each semester. Some labs cost more than others, but it averages out to about $175 per lab (that’s everything needed for a 90-minute lesson for all 3 classes, 76 students total). The cost includes all of the food ingredients, plus consumables like soap, laundry detergent for aprons and hand towels, aluminum foil, wax paper, saran wrap, etc. Of the food ingredients, proteins, fresh vegetables and fruit cost the most, but you can’t teach a healthy, hands-on cooking class without them.
Why don’t the parents just pay for this?
The parents do help pay. Parents are asked to pay a $30 instruction fee per student per semester; about 2/3 are able to pay. See the funding needs spreadsheet above for more on how it all adds up.
What about long-term sustainability?
The best-case scenario would be for the school to have the resources to fully fund the life skills program. That seems unlikely in the near future. Another possibility is to find a large donor (or several) who can make a long-term commitment to fund the program. If you have any suggestions on how we can secure long-term funding for the program, please share!
What about Floyd Dryden Middle School?
There is also a life skills program at FDMS. Ideally, both programs should be fully funded; that is the ultimate goal. In the meantime, I have details about the immediate needs at DHMS and am directing my initial fundraising efforts there.
What if we raise more than our goal?
Excess funds will go toward next year and an expansion to Floyd Dryden Middle School. Other goals include starting a garden.
“In Mrs. Kovach’s class, not only do we have fun, but we learn skills we can use in our everyday lives. I loved learning how to make tasty, healthy meals like fish tacos. She also taught us many cooking skills and kitchen safety.” –Nikki, former student
“Teaching 26 middle school students at a time how to cook a delicious halibut taco is not the hard part of my job. The hard part is trying to figure out how to stretch such a limited budget. Thank you for considering a donation to a program that I believe is equally as important as any math or language arts class.” –Jessie Kovach, teacher
I know that with so many worthy causes out there, it can be difficult to choose where to give. This one is worth it. For a modest $50 per student per semester, we can help a substantial number of Juneau’s 7th and 8th graders develop the knowledge and skills they will need to stay healthy as they become the ones responsible for their own shopping, cooking and eating.
They already have most of the “ingredients” they need: the kitchen classroom setup is awesome, and they have a fantastic teacher. They just need the food ingredients!
An investment now will help instill the lifelong pleasure that comes from cooking and eating real, delicious food vs. junk food, fast food and unhealthy to-go meals, introduce kids to jobs and careers in the culinary field, and make a dent in future costs of obesity-related illness.
I’ve tried to answer some questions I thought people might have in the paragraphs below. Please let me know if you have any other questions or ideas about how we can meet our goal. Literally any contribution will help, and so will sharing this page with your own networks.
I will keep this page updated with our progress.
Thank you so much!
-Jess
Funding Needs Spreadsheet:
This is my first time using a gofundme page. Here’s how it works:
- Donate online in any amount. I will electronically transfer the funds raised to my bank account and then directly to the school/life skills program.
- You can send a check to the school: Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School, 1600 Renninger St, Juneau, AK 99801. Checks should be made out to DHMS and should note that they are for the Life Skills program. This is the only way to make your donation tax-deductible; gofundme makes it easy to give online but doesn’t provide for tax-deductible giving.
- You can read more about how it works here: https://www.gofundme.com/questions/ , or if you have a specific question please message me and I’ll get back to you.
Why am I involved?
The teacher is a good friend of mine. She told me how little money she has to work with this year, and once I got over being shocked I decided to try to help. I’ve been in the classroom and have seen for myself how engaged the kids are; it’s such a good hands-on break from their usual classroom setting. I think it’s hard to overstate how important and empowering it is for them to learn how to take care of themselves and their families via healthy cooking.
Who are the students?
They are 7th and 8th graders attending DHMS, a public school, who have chosen to take the class. There are both boys and girls. About 1 of 5 students at DHMS is of Native Alaskan heritage. Overall at DHMS, 29% qualify for free or reduced lunches; about 22 out of the 76 life skills students this semester are eligible for free or reduced lunches.
What is the classroom like?
The setup is awesome! There are 6 complete kitchens with about 4 students working in each. Average class size is 25 students and there are 3 different classes. They meet for 45 minutes on Mondays, when they learn about nutrition, food safety & sanitation, and whatever topics they will be focusing on in the cooking labs that week. Every class then meets for two 90-minute labs during the rest of the week. The class lasts for one semester, about 16 weeks, so there are about 32 labs that every student gets to do, plus the 45 minute classroom sessions at the beginning of each week. There is enough time for students to learn to be comfortable in a kitchen and how to continue to progress independently once the semester is over. Bonus: the kids get to eat everything they cook - there are never leftovers.
Can the class get food donated by local grocery stores?
So far this hasn’t really worked out. If you or someone you know has a way to get ingredients the class needs donated directly, please let me know! In the meantime, the school’s tax-exempt status helps, and the teacher uses coupons and shops sales whenever possible, but the ingredients still cost money.
How did you calculate costs to come up with the funding goal?
The teacher checked current costs around town for the ingredients and supplies required for a handful of representative cooking labs the class does each semester. Some labs cost more than others, but it averages out to about $175 per lab (that’s everything needed for a 90-minute lesson for all 3 classes, 76 students total). The cost includes all of the food ingredients, plus consumables like soap, laundry detergent for aprons and hand towels, aluminum foil, wax paper, saran wrap, etc. Of the food ingredients, proteins, fresh vegetables and fruit cost the most, but you can’t teach a healthy, hands-on cooking class without them.
Why don’t the parents just pay for this?
The parents do help pay. Parents are asked to pay a $30 instruction fee per student per semester; about 2/3 are able to pay. See the funding needs spreadsheet above for more on how it all adds up.
What about long-term sustainability?
The best-case scenario would be for the school to have the resources to fully fund the life skills program. That seems unlikely in the near future. Another possibility is to find a large donor (or several) who can make a long-term commitment to fund the program. If you have any suggestions on how we can secure long-term funding for the program, please share!
What about Floyd Dryden Middle School?
There is also a life skills program at FDMS. Ideally, both programs should be fully funded; that is the ultimate goal. In the meantime, I have details about the immediate needs at DHMS and am directing my initial fundraising efforts there.
What if we raise more than our goal?
Excess funds will go toward next year and an expansion to Floyd Dryden Middle School. Other goals include starting a garden.
“In Mrs. Kovach’s class, not only do we have fun, but we learn skills we can use in our everyday lives. I loved learning how to make tasty, healthy meals like fish tacos. She also taught us many cooking skills and kitchen safety.” –Nikki, former student
“Teaching 26 middle school students at a time how to cook a delicious halibut taco is not the hard part of my job. The hard part is trying to figure out how to stretch such a limited budget. Thank you for considering a donation to a program that I believe is equally as important as any math or language arts class.” –Jessie Kovach, teacher
Organizer
Jess Parks
Organizer
Juneau, AK
