Above: Culinary students prepare the weekly Community Lunch at Creekside Community High School, earning internship credit and real-life skills in catering
TTSD’s Creekside Community High School used funds to hire staff to teach their culinary kids how to cater through their weekly Community Lunch Program; enabling the school to foster deeper learning and social and emotional connection for all the kids in their school.
“Across the world right now, there are innumerable schools with multitudes of children facing big challenges around creating a context for safe and healthy interactions between kids that provide them the necessary social input for learning to be people together–essential learning and development opportunities that have been disrupted by the pandemic. As I watch the youth of Creekside navigate this reality, I see tremendous progress. This gives me hope.
This growth is, in no small part, a product of the adults that care for them taking the patient time to talk with them during their mistakes, upsets, struggles, and confusions. Families and schools work together to provide that support for our kids. These teachable moments are powerful for building self awareness, social awareness, and wise decision making as members of a community.
How We Build Durable Relationships
The equally important work we do is proactive; to build community and foster meaningful, durable relationships. We envision Creekside Community High School as a welcoming place for rich, real-world learning, but also a circle of partnerships–youth, families, educators, neighbors, helpers, friends, and community resources coming together to gather around the wellbeing of our kids. We envision our school as the center of this community that will continue to grow and blossom, causing ripples of laughter, friendship, prosperity, generosity of spirit, shared meals, and peace around us. Through this, our students will find their greatness and use it to help and to lead.
How FTTS Funds for More Teachers Creates a Ripple Effect on a School Wide Level
The generous support of our wider community through the Foundation’s School Grant pays for our Community Lunch Program, allowing the staff and students of Creekside to sit down together each Wednesday to share a meal grown from our gardens and made with love by our youth and kitchen mentors. Afterwards, classes take turns scrubbing pots and washing tables, providing every student an opportunity to care for our school and for each other. This lunch ques up an afternoon of connection and collaborative school wide service and innovation projects designed and implemented by students.
Through ongoing financial support from the Foundation’s School Grant, Creekside will continue to move, step by step, towards a vision for school that is being co-created with our students, families, and wider community–one in which the wellbeing of all of us is centered… allowing us to grow, learn, and develop together in a safe and supported way.”
~ Russ Romas – Principal, Creekside Community High School
Creekside Community Lunch: harvest, food prep, lunch service, clean up, and community building activities
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Your gift helps fund more teachers to bridge the mental health, equity and learning gaps our kids are facing created by Covid-19 lockdowns.
