Lessons from the Kitchen: Student Gains Valuable Knowledge Through Unique Opportunity

Preparing students for the outside world is critical for success post-school. Whether that’s after college or immediately after high school, LaRue County Schools wants to give students everything they need to excel.

For LCHS student Shaelee Belcher, those tools can be found in the kitchen. Belcher has the unique opportunity to work at the LCHS cafeteria. She develops menus, preps food, and learns the ins and outs of running a kitchen effectively. Belcher is part of a growing focus on Transition Readiness.

This unique co-op program also comes as a response to listening to the needs of the county. Through the school’s collaboration with the community on the LaRue County Schools Strategic Plan, programs like this one exist.

Programs like the student worker system also help address a national deficit in preparedness. A survey conducted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) found that only 55 percent of students attending high school feel prepared to enter the real world. Statistics like those are another reason why LaRue County Schools are doing everything it can to equip students with the right tools to succeed, no matter their goal industry.

LaRue County Schools Director of School Nutrition Stephanie Utley said that the program started as a way to provide students skills but also help out the current labor force.

“We worked with Jennifer Bernard to find some students that might be interested in the opportunity”, Utley said. “We interviewed Shaelee and she was a perfect match from the moment we met her.”

Belcher said that even though she doesn’t plan on pursuing a culinary career, the experience she’s gained in the cafeteria has helped enormously.

“The opportunity I've been given working in the high-school cafeteria means a great deal to me because it has opened my eyes to new possibilities and potential career paths for my future,” Belcher said. “Although I plan to pursue a career in welding, I have always enjoyed being a part of the school and involved with helping children especially when it comes to their health and better eating habits. I love the new experience I've gained through this opportunity and the staff I’ve gotten the pleasure to work with as well.”

According to Utley, the programs will expand into more diverse offerings and work with other schools within the district.

“Our vision for hiring student workers (which we hope to expand to the other schools in the district) is to enable students to learn skills that they might not get otherwise, while also giving them all the benefits of a job like building their resume and also making money.”