Great Spaghetti Cookout 2018

Post date: Apr 20, 2018 4:20:58 AM

by Jean Leong 

“You Feed to Love, You Love to Feed.”  A personal mantra shared by Anjna, a parent volunteer, whose son just started his Secondary one at ACS (Barker Road).  I am sure that most of the parent volunteers felt the same way too.  

The Annual Great Spaghetti Cookout took place at ACS (Barker Road) for the staff of the school and all students from Secondary 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 without a hitch. The boys were treated to a FABULOUS meal of spaghetti and ice cream during their recesses.  

This year we had 330 litres of sauce and 110 kilograms of pasta prepared for a crowd of 1500. To pull this off, the Family@Barker Food Ministry managed to rally ~120 parent volunteers who contributed food, served and donated towards the event. There was also a dedicated team of parent volunteers picking up the sauces and pastas from the parents who dropped the items off.  

“We were so thankful for the support we have gotten from the parent volunteers!  We had an overwhelming response to contribute food and help at this Cookout!" - Lynette Lim (Family@Barker EXCO member).

One highlight this year was that the students got to enjoy new variations of spaghetti sauces done in different flavours.  May and Sasi, the wife and husband parent volunteer team, dished up an awesome tasting tomato-based Aglio olio.  It was topped up with Trizo sausages, spring onions and dashes of sesame seeds !  May thought it would be nice to share her son’s favourite dish at this cookout. 

Both recesses were buzzing with actions, and we could see the parent servers quickly dishing up and reheating the food.  There was also an ice cream station manned by a group of daddies and mummies who were calling out and handing out delicious desserts from Walls !  

Many parent volunteers shared that it was so heartwarming to see the smiles from the boys and hear the words "THANK YOU" as they served the food. They were also happy to see their sons during the recesses. Many of the boys came running to the queue lines where their mums or dads were serving.  And some even managed to find time for quick photo moments and hugs too.

The teamwork and camaraderie among parents and students were extraordinary.  Conscientious efforts and detailed planning were put in to ensure the cookout ran smoothly and that our boys were well-fed ! A big thank you to the Parent Volunteers, Food Ministry Committee Members and ACS (Barker Road) staff that made all this possible ! Look out for the Great Spaghetti Cookout 2019 ! 

Sound bites from our Principal, students and parent volunteers...

“We appreciate the time and efforts put in by the Parent Volunteers from Food Ministry.  We hope the boys will appreciate this too.” Mr. Loo Ming Yaw, Principal 

“My son, Lax, loves to see me in school since I work full time.” Lynette Lim, a Family@Barker EXCO member & accountant, who shared that she loves helping out as she loves food

“I have been volunteering in my son’s school since primary school.  I enjoy doing this.”  Mr. Samat Jaimon 

"It is so nice to have home-cooked meals in the canteen today!" 

“It’s wonderful to taste the sauce that my father cooked last night.” 

"This is my first Spaghetti Cookout and I can't wait to eat!" ~ A Sec 1 boy who rushed to the food queue.