Written by: Josie Morwood and Brooklynn Steeves
KCI does not just prioritize the education of students, the school ensures that everyone has access to healthy, affordable food, as well. KCI’s very own smoothie bar, salad bar, and culinary arts program makes this possible. The Edge newspaper interviewed Mr. Kreutzkamp to be able to inform or reinform students with the brilliance of this program and encourage them to try it out more often!
Throughout the week for the past four to five years, menus have been promoted set days so that students can purchase some delicious meals. Smoothies can be bought on Tuesdays in the cafeteria, $5 lunches on Wednesdays in the eatery made by students at KCI are available, as well as salads on Thursdays in the cafeteria, and baked goods once in a while in the eatery. The foods chosen are new every week, creating a fun challenge for those cooking the foods, and diverse options for those consuming them. These plates are healthy and affordable options for students and staff in the school community.
Additionally, this program is run by loads of volunteer students and teachers. It functions almost like a job, except the students earn volunteer hours instead of money, averaging around 15-20 hours per year for their contribution.
When asked about these benefits towards the KCI community, Mr. Kreutzkamp shared that his main goal was healthy options for students. He explained, “We eat a lot of unhealthy foods. I eat a lot of unhealthy foods, but I want to keep food in school healthy.” Furthermore, he compared the prices and fullness you would feel after eating something from a restaurant like Freshii to this program, by saying, “It’s [Freshii] expensive. We charge $7 for a bowl, which is going to fill you up.” He followed this up by stating that “Healthy food fills you up better than unhealthy food,” showing that these options are very beneficial.
He continued to explain that all of the proceeds made go back to the school and are used for KCI’s different programs, specifically the Pantry Program. The Pantry Program provides food and personal care items for students who are not able to afford them. They offer canned foods, pastas, dried goods, and hygiene products that can be found in room 251. The profits also sometimes go to free food days where the school provides free hotdogs or pancakes at lunch for the KCI staff and students.
Mr. Keutzkamp shared that a wish he has for the program is get the school community to buy the food a bit more. He said, “I’d love to be able to donate $3000 worth of food to the Pantry Program at our school.”
If students are interested in joining the smoothie and salad bar team, they can head down to the cafeteria at lunch on Tuesdays or Thursdays and ask to help them out. Staff and students already running the program will put students’ names on a list and add them to the Google Classroom to get started. Mr. Kreutzkamp would like students to know that this program is seen more like a job than a club. It is expected that students make a commitment to the group, show up for their shifts, and help out wherever they can. It is a fun opportunity to make some connections, earn some volunteer hours, and contribute to the KCI community.
The culinary program at KCI takes care of the well-being and health of all the students and staff at KCI. They provide the school with affordable, healthy, and tasty food and all of the profits go back to the school and the Pantry Program.