Stories from Growing Leaders

Pictured: Auvie and Maya 

Norah, Ella, and Maya

Growing Leaders is an AWESOME class. It’s not just cooking and gardening, but a production kitchen and a business! I was so excited when we wore HAIRNETS to cook for the public- I felt so professional! I also love that we, the kids, get to make the decisions. Overall I have had an amazing time so far, especially making our first meal for the public last week. I am already learning so much, and having fun with my classmates and the activities at the same time.

-Norah, 7th grade

When you’re making meals for yourself not everything needs to be perfect, but making it for the public you need to be on point. There’s no time for chopping each of your little carrot sticks individually. Honestly, it was a little more stressful, there are so many questions that pop in your head, for example, What if last year’s growing leaders is better than this year’s? What if the profit doesn’t reach our financial goal? The moment I got into Growing Leaders I knew I would volunteer on meal night because I love to cook and bake and I wanted to learn tips for marketing and be a businesswoman.

-Ella, 7th grade

Growing Leaders is a business, a community, and a fun place to learn important skills! During the week of our first meal,  I was expecting less responsibility. In elementary school, we measured and cut bit but now in Growing Leaders we have a lot more to do. Most of the decisions are up to us and I like the feeling that I’m doing something important. When I make a meal for myself, I’m usually pretty messy and not that precise. But knowing that the food Im making will be for other people makes me act a lot more careful. I like the experience a lot but one of the challenges I personally face is working with other people productively. I’m used to doing all of the work myself and so teamwork and equally sharing work and listening to other opinions is sometimes hard for me. But I’m getting better at those skills and Growing Leaders is fun way of teaching me how. All in all, Growing Leaders is a great chance for more experience and I’m excited for the coming year.

-Maya, 8th grade