Culinary Arts and Sustainable Agriculture Academy
Venice High School
Proposal
Lead Teacher: Tina Gruen
Unifying Vision/Identity
Venice High School is located in the midst of a thriving artistic and environmentally conscious community. We propose to establish a small learning community within the larger high school that provides a venue for students and teachers to collaborate with parents and community leaders towards the common goal of enriching educational opportunities for our youth. The Culinary Arts and Sustainable Agriculture Academy of Venice (CASAA Venice), provides a small thematic learning community with a rigorous and relevant curriculum that addresses the expressed needs of the existing Venice High School community. It responds to a grassroots need for programming in environmental science, food service, and hospitality related fields while utilizing existing local resources. CASAA Venice incorporates multiple learning styles and celebrates multiculturalism as it addresses the needs of a fully inclusive student population seeking greater relevance in their education. Our core philosophy adheres to the Principles of Ecology, which describe systems of connections between people and the natural environment. The vision is to create an “apprenticeship community that model(s) the practice of living sustainably” (Zenobia Barlow, Center for Ecoliteracy). The curriculum applies the key concepts of networks, nested systems, cycles, flows, dynamic balance, and development throughout core courses in science, social studies, English, mathematics, and foreign languages. Specialized courses in horticulture, hospitality, and global economics afford opportunities for application of the ecological principles.
CASAA Venice is committed to practices that demonstrate awareness of how one’s personal health is inextricably linked with environmental health. Courses in nutrition teach the importance of healthy food choices for optimal physical and mental well being and to prevent disease. It is important for all students to learn to identify local and global renewable resources and understand sustainable farming and food production practices. Faculty will mentor students of all backgrounds and abilities to develop the skills to analyze issues and apply creative problem solving strategies to relevant worldwide current events.
Café CASAA will be the centerpiece of the SLC, wherein students will have the opportunity to put academy philosophy into practice. Students will use organic foods harvested from the Venice High School Learning Garden to prepare nutritious, delicious meals for faculty, students, and community events. Café CASAA will have a fully functioning professionally equipped kitchen and café that will also serve as a classroom for students in culinary arts and food management courses. The café dining area will provide a focal point for all members of the Venice High School community to come together, share food, display visual art, experience performing art, conduct meetings and fundraising events, and cultivate a sense of pride in the collaborative effort of all stakeholders.
Current Venice HS students have expressed interest in such programs for several years. The CASAA Venice Cooking Club was established in spring 2008 to determine student and community interest. It is a heterogeneous group with students of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities. Student response has been tremendous and staff, faculty, and community members are joining forces to support the endeavor. Club activities inform the development of class curriculum focused on developing literacy in ecological farming practices and economic food policies through rigorous academic study, community service, and collaboration with local businesses. These culturally responsive activities aim to increase student involvement in school activities, help close the achievement gap and thereby increase graduation rates.
CASAA Venice fulfills the pre-requisites necessary for students working towards enrollment in 4-year colleges and provides opportunities for students to obtain practical work experience in preparation for seeking employment in several sectors of the food service industry. We want to create an environment where students will be involved in cultivating and preparing healthy food, event planning and catering for students, faculty, families, and the extended community. CASAA students will advocate for ecological awareness through outreach programs, community service, and service learning projects. Students will develop literacy in ecological farming practices and economic food policies through rigorous academic study, community service, and collaboration with local businesses. The career and educational goals of CASAA Venice are as follows:
EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
§ To prepare students to pursue their career goals; to enter a 4-year college or university, to attend a 2-year college or vocational program, or to join the work force with marketable qualifications and experience.
§ To encourage healthy lifestyles in accordance with Healthy Kids 2010.
§ To close the achievement gap by motivating at-risk students to pursue high school graduation and post-secondary education.
§ To increase student attendance rates through communication and partnership with students’ families.
§ To decrease the dropout rate for all students through careful monitoring of student progress and mentoring students to strive for their individual goals.
CAREER GOALS:
§ To educate students in ecological and sustainable principals of food cultivation, preparation, nutrition and marketing, using rigorous and relevant curricula.
§ To expose students to a variety of work experiences in the food industry, (i.e. restaurants, catering services, retail markets/farmer’s markets, environmental health and safety organizations, and farms)
§ To provide healthy, nutritious, multicultural foods to faculty, students, parents, and other community members through food preparation and sales at the CASAA Café.
CASAA Venice extends the five Expected School-wide Learning Results previously established by Venice High School. In addition to assuring incorporation of the Single School Plan and WASC accreditation recommendations, our academy will incorporate effective communication, critical thinking, problem solving, technological literacy, and social responsibility into our curriculum. Our ESLR’s are:
Effective communicators who will be able to...
· read, comprehend, and interpret a variety of written materials.
· produce writing that is clear, concise, and grammatically correct.
· listen and comprehend oral language and respond appropriately.
· use oral, visual, or performing modes of communication.
· communicate within and across cultures
Critical Thinkers who will be able to:
· analyze and evaluate data to interpret cause and effect
· develop and informed opinions by contrasting different sides of an issue
· develop hypotheses, predict outcomes, and draw conclusions based on evidence
· make connections among related concepts and apply them to other content areas, technology, and the world of work
Problem Solvers who will be able to:
· demonstrate the ability to identify a problem, collect and analyze data, select from a variety of problem solving approaches, and formulate a solution(s)
· apply acquired skills and knowledge to solve new problems
· determine and evaluate possible consequences of solution(s)
· work on a team to solve problems and complete tasks
Technologically Literate Workers who will be able to...
· use computers to access information from a variety of print and electronic sources
· use technology to collect, store, and analyze data in all disciplines
· use technology to enhance communication
Socially Responsible Community Members who will be able to...
· develop skills in resolving conflicts through positive, non-violent means
· volunteer in school and community to improve the quality of life
· demonstrate tolerance and respect for others when working in diverse groups
· promote healthy life choices for themselves and the environment
· set appropriate and realistic personal, educational, and vocational goals
One highly motivating aspect of the CASAA program is the incorporation and celebration of culinary traditions from around the world. Students and their families are encouraged to share their traditions with the school community in a spirit of openness, curiosity, and respect for each other’s culture.
The CASAA Venice faculty collaborate on lessons that are responsive to the students’ multiple learning styles and that celebrate their multicultural heritage. Thematic integrated curriculum addresses the needs of a fully inclusive student population seeking greater connection between school and career. The work-experience component of the program emphasizes career-based instruction, which prepares students with important pre-requisite job skills regarding safety procedures and California Occupational Safety and Health Association, (CAL-OSHA) requirements. We also seek to establish internships with local restaurants and the culinary school in Santa Monica.
Representatives from all stakeholder groups will participate in the development and monitoring of the CASAA Venice SLC. The following people are currently involved in the planning process.
Participant / Title / Group ResponsibilitiesVision / Curriculum / Facilities / Budget / Recruitment
Marianne Brown / Master Gardener, Volunteer / x / x
James DeBiase / Special Education Dept. Chair / x / x
Tina Gruen / RSP Teacher/Coordinator / x / x / x / x / x
Nina Hammerstein / RSP Teacher / x / x
Jay Hoffstein / English Teacher / x / x
Shayna Kay / Student / x / x
Gertrud Kruchen / Foreign Language/German Teacher / x / x
Terrie Lavery / Special Education Aide / x
Henry Lazo / Title 1 Coordinator / x / x / x / x
Soni Lloyd / Social Studies Teacher / x / x
Paula Lovelace / Special Education Aide / x
Maria Lozano
Julie Mann / Community Activist / x
Rosa Martinez / Counselor / x / x
Nancy Mills / Master Gardener, Volunteer / x / x
Linda Moakes / Substitute, Community Member / x
Marivel Ocampo / Foreign Language/Spanish Teacher / x / x
Fernando Orduna / Community Based Instruction Teacher / x / x
Jair Pelaez / Special Education Aide / x
Diane Pollock / Regional Occupation Program Teacher / x / x / x
Bernadette Reyes / Counselor / x / x
Tory Toyama / Science Teacher / x / x
California School of Culinary Arts
521 East Green StreetPasadena, CA 91101, US
Contact Us
Chef Eric's Culinary Classroom
2366 Pelham AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90064, US
(310) 470-2640 Fax: (310) 470-2642
www.culinaryclassroom.com/?|?
Los Angeles Trade - Technical College
400 W. Washington Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90015, US
(213) 763-7000
wellness.lattc.edu/culinary/culinary.html?|?
Sur La Table- Los Angeles Farmer's Market, Culinary Program
6333 W. Third StreetLos Angeles, CA 90036, US
(323) 954-9190 Fax: (323) 954-9587
www.surlatable.com/stores/StoreDetails.cfm?StoreNumber=27&mode=culinary
UCLA Extension, Hospitality Management
10995 Le Conte Ave.Room 515
Los Angeles, CA 90024-0901, US
(818) 784-7006 Fax: (310) 206-7249
www.uclaextension.edu/unex/courseListings/course_display/CourseDetails.cfm?course_title=Introduction%20to%20the%20%3C%5Cn%3EHospitality%20Industry%20%28EI%29&course_number=X%20491%2E001&CatQuarter=Fall&CatYear=2003&category=TitleAndDescription&CFID=6113884&CFTOKEN=271?|?mailto:
Venice Senior High School is in a neighborhood where there is a clearly established need and desire for local, organic food. We are fortunate to enjoy a student body of diverse cultural backgrounds and view our member families as an invaluable resource of knowledge and experience. Parents hold important positions in planning, recruiting and implementing our programs. We are ideally located to provide organically grown produce to our Venice community, in particular, at our local Farmers Market. We plan to work collaboratively in partnerships with local restaurants, retail markets and Farmers’ Markets as resources for our food ingredients and equipment. Eventually, we plan to market and sell our food products through them. Internships with local businesses will be a crucial part of the junior and senior year elective sequence in hospitality and business management. Several local post-secondary institutions provide concurrent and/or dual enrollment opportunities for students in CASAA Venice.
CASAA Venice counselors, faculty, students, parents and other community partners will participate in outreach programs connected to surrounding community colleges and vocational schools. We plan to promote the program in feeder middle schools to solicit interest from students transitioning to high school. Seniors and some juniors will act as emissaries to local feeder middle schools and lead groups of prospective students and families during orientations scheduled between January and March. These upper-classmen will explain the variety of CASAA programs and associated clubs, while clarifying that student selection of a specific course of study need not be made until the end of freshman year.
Additional marketing strategies will include but not be limited to:
§ distributing flyers at feeder middle schools
§ Venice High School counselors informing incoming 9th graders and continuing 10th graders about all CASAA program options
§ CASAA Venice students will cater school and community events
§ CASAA Venice will sponsor a fundraiser at least once per year to publicize the program
§ “Taste of Venice Night” for the community.
§ Having a “certificate like” display on the door or wall in local partner restaurants stating local vegetables are grown at Venice HS.
CASAA Venice will establish a board of directors to conduct monthly professional development meetings. The board will consist of VHS personnel, CASAA Administrator, CASAA students, parents and involved community members.
Coordinator (Grant Supervision/Monitoring/Internships) ______
Lead Teacher (Curriculum) ______
Food Manager (Food Purchase & Equipment Maintenance______
Fundraising Coordinator (Planning & Advertising) ______
Treasurer (Money Management) ______
Counselor (Programming and Graduation Tracking) ______
Community Member (PTSA Representative) ______
2 Student Representatives ______
Parent Advisory ______
The meetings will provide a forum for shareholders to evaluate, renew, and revise the vision, goals, objectives, and curriculum of the program. We will make decisions related to budget, student conduct, behavior, facilities, master schedule, student programming and community safety. Participants will acknowledge successes and address challenges of the program.
Tina Gruen, RST, is identified as the Lead Teacher/Administrator for the CASAA Venice SLC. Additional faculty members are drawn from the pool of teachers who express interest and are available for close collaboration with each other. All faculty members with ideas regarding programming and course curricula are welcome. One of the goals of CASAA Venice is to provide a service to the entire school. We will accomplish this in collaboration with other SLCs by catering numerous school spirit and community outreach events, providing a venue for visual and performing arts productions, and offering catering services to students and faculty. CASAA Venice faculty will meet once per week during a common conference period to plan thematic instruction across the curriculum.
District guidelines and precedents established by successful service learning programs and vocational training programs will inform curriculum planning that addresses all A-G high school graduation requirements. Members of the CASAA Venice SLC will network with general education teachers, counselors, District Occupational Training Services (DOTS) personnel, and Regional Occupational Program (ROP) personnel at Venice High School to identify current services that can be accommodated to address the needs of students in CASAA. During the spring articulation at our feeder middle schools, counselors and CASAA teachers will present information regarding CASAA and provide opportunities for students and parents to ask questions about the academy.