OCR Text |
Show Page 8 0 R E M TIMES Thursday, December 4, 2008 3fi NEWS AND IDEAS FROM CLASSROOMS AND EDUCATORS OJHS lunchroom manager weathers rebuild Reva Bowen NORTH COUNTY STAFF After an extensive reconstruction recon-struction project, Orem Junior High School's lunchroom is back. School kitchen manager Geanie Matthews and her staff are really enjoying the new facility, having worked for months to provide meals for more than 600 students a day last year, and doing it, basically, ba-sically, without a kitchen. "It was kind of a rough situation," situ-ation," Matthews said about the year without a lunchroom, "but you look back on it, and you learn a lot, and you appreciate appre-ciate what you've got now." During the reconstruction, pizza was brought in from vendors, and items such as cold sandwiches, salads, vegetables and fruits were prepared at Mountain View High School and transported to the junior high. Students ate lunch on tables in the commons com-mons area. The quick-serve menus proved to be popular, and now that hot lunch is back, Matthews Mat-thews has seen just a slight increase in the number of students stu-dents eating at school. "This year, I plan for 700 Geanie Matthews students, and I usually get about 650, but sometimes, some-times, 680," she said. "Our average aver-age last year was 630, but those kinds of changes can occur on a yearly basis, ac cording to enrollment." For her efforts, Matthews was named the most recent recipient of the school's "Classified "Clas-sified Employee of the Year." "Mrs. Matthews came to us during a time when we needed to establish a higher expectation expecta-tion of our students and lunchroom lunch-room personnel with regard to their lunch time experience," said Orem Junior High principal princi-pal Steve Stewart of her nomination nomi-nation for the accolade. "She stepped in and immediately established an atmosphere of fun and professionalism." The new kitchen is set up with all new equipment, including in-cluding a proofer that raises bread products with moisture and heat so the items are fluffy and even. There is also a state-of-the-art oven that is unique in the district, said Matthews. Items like rolls go on trays on a rack that rotates for even cooking, and the oven also has a feature to add steam to food. The steam makes it possible to cook fluffy french bread with a crusty exterior, without it flattening flat-tening out, she said. Each serving station has a warming box and its own refrigerator, she said. Rolls from the oven are transported on the wheeled rack from the oven directly to the "hot boxes." Steam tables and heat lamps keep hot foods hot, and the refrigerator sections keep milk, fruits and vegetables cold. The lunchroom has an ala carte section, which "the kids missed last year," Matthews said. Flavored waters, juices, sports drinks, nachos, pretzels, pret-zels, chips, muffins and yogurt are some of the items offered. Pop and candy are not sold. Alpine School District guidelines have brought some changes to the lunchroom in recent years, Matthews said. Everything served has to be under 300 calories, which meant that some items had to be taken off the menu. The whole district has also gone "peanut-free" in its food services, ser-vices, because of the severe allergies some students experience. expe-rience. Matthews likes the open look of the new lunchroom, which, in addition to tables, has bars where students can stand and talk to their friends while they eat. Stewart said Matthews is "one of the most friendly and efficient managers I have ever known." Matthews lives in Pleasant Grove with her husband, Lynn Matthews, a brick mason. Previous Pre-vious jobs for Matthews have included working at Mary's Beauty College. She has been a hairdresser for 30 years. She said she loves art and "creating "creat-ing things," and playing with her grandchildren, particularly particu-larly in the summer when she "has more time." This past summer was different, dif-ferent, however, because she was putting in a lot of overtime over-time hours unpacking and washing the new equipment and getting the kitchen ready for operation. A lunch room staff of seven help her feed the entire school. Teachers and school secretaries all provide her with assistance. Timpanogos High School Talent Show assembly Is on Friday. Winter Ball The Winter Ball is Saturday. Dance Showcase The Winter Dance Showcase is Dec. II at 7 p.m. Christmas in the Commons The annual choral event is Dec. 13. Orem Jr. High Midterms distributed Midterm grades were distributed distrib-uted yesterday in A4 classes. Ninth-Grade SEOPs Are through Friday. 4-H Parent Night Is on Tuesday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. BandOrchestra Concert Will be Dec. II at 6:30 p.m. Choir Concert Is Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Orchard Elementary Grandparent Day For kindergarten kin-dergarten classes is Dec. 12. School Christmas Sing Parents are invited Dec. 18 for the school Christmas Sing beginning at 9:30 a.m. Aspen Elementary fiook Fair A buy one, get one free book fair will be held Dec. 8-12. Geneva Elementary Christmas Sing The annual an-nual Christmas Sing will 6e held on Dec. 19, a common day, when all students have the same schedule. The activity activ-ity will be at 9 a.m. Northridge Elementary Santa's Secret Workshop Ends Friday. Chorus A combined chorus rehearsal will be held Monday at 8:20 a.m.. At 12:30, there will be a performance for grades 3-4 in the new part of the building. On Tuesday there will be a performance at 1:30 p.m. for grades 5-6 at the same location. On Wednesday at 2 p.m. there is a chorus rehearsal re-hearsal at the junior high, to be followed by a performance for parents Dec. 11 at 7 p.m., also at the junior high. Finance assembly Timpanogos High School students stu-dents will be bringing an assembly as-sembly on finances Dec. 11 at I p.m. for grades 5-6, and 1:30 p.m. for fourth-grade classes. Windsor Elementary Chorus program Is at 9:45 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Christmas Concerts Performances Per-formances will be at 9:45 a.m. f and 12:45 p.m. on Dec. 17. "Sing Around the Tree" Will be at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 19. J2 vyoives Nate Howell This week is one of mixed emotions emo-tions for the students at Timpanogos High School. They will participate in student-led conferences, a new idea that replaces parent-teacher conferences. Now as you may have gathered from the name, the idea of this is to let the student lead the conference rather than the teacher. This involves the student gathering work from all of his or her classes and showing it to their parents along with a number of other things, including a letter of appreciation for the parents. The teacher sits quietly at her desk doing nothing during this process. There are differing opinions as to whether student -led conferences or parent-teacher conferences are better. The main advantage for student-led is that it just asks for a propaganda-filled portfolio with the best assignment from each class inside. This impresses the parents, which is wonderful as it is near Christmas time. Conveniently, all of the other assignments as-signments that are terrible are mysteriously mys-teriously absent. The parents remain oblivious to this unless they check their child's grades some other time. Now what could possibly be wrong with this from the students' point of view? They actually have to do work on it and go to the actual conference, both of which are not usually very high on their "things-that-make-me-happy" list. In the usual parent -teacher conference, the students would just stay home while their parents attended usually unaware it was parent-teacher conference con-ference time again until their parents came home yelling. It all comes down to a fight between be-tween laziness and delaying the inevitable punishment until the end of the term when the report cards come out. Judging from my personal observation, the former seems to win out almost every time. When we are supposed to be making our portfolios, port-folios, half of our statistics class goes and plays H-O-R-S-E with a stress ball and a crate instead of working. Some of us end up not even going to the conference at all, as it is fairly pointless unless some work is done, and few are willing to put forth the effort. This is the only win-win situation. Staying home provides an opportunity opportu-nity to remain lazy as well as not let our parents see our grades. Needless to say, this is my favorite option. Where else would you advertise? It Madras 9m ialrf iv ix x xx xx fx a 1 "SJ V U V V N XX JT 1 .v ; -r J 5ale amount must exceed $4000 TtiE NEW 830 m . . It lk w I Mi -9 ' - 1 W XiS5&3r - STOCIALS 40 spools of 9-1 1a.m. ONLY! EMBROIDERY THREAD mm WITH EVERY EMBROIDERY MACHINE PURCHASE! Mon-Fri10am-6pm Sat 9 am -5 pm 374-5520 L www.artista.net 1 I One Bernina Accessory All Fabric "Embroidery Packs it J |