Enter Crossland High School on a Wednesday at lunchtime and seniors in Chef Muriel Homesack’s Culinary Arts class will likely be busy running a cafe.
Clad in aprons, hairnets and gloves, students move through the kitchen, shredding cheese, simmering chicken and beef and layering tortillas, which they serve up as tacos with a sweet cranberry coleslaw, a brownie dessert and iced tea.
Students package and deliver the meals or run the financial side of the weekly, student-run cafe that provides teachers and staff an on-site lunch option.
One of those students is senior Bardino Joyner, who is headed to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, after earning a $33,000 scholarship.
“It’s been a great experience. Chef Homesack brings so much knowledge to the classroom and has been helpful with scholarships and getting into school,” Joyner said. “I love the community we have in the classroom and have become in love with cooking over the past few years.” — Excerpted from “Inside PGCPS”
Summer Youth Employment
Applications for the 2020 Youth@Work/Summer Youth Enrichment Program are being accepted Feb. 28.
The award-winning, nationally recognized program helps young people ages 14-22 launch careers by providing them with free job readiness training and paid summer employment and offers six weeks of enriching entry-level employment at governmental, nonprofit and business worksites in Prince George’s County and the greater D.C. area.
The program, for which participants can earn $9.80 to $11.50 an hour, is part of County Executive Angela Alsobrooks’ commitment to youth development, which will prepare and empower the county’s youth to achieve their full potential into adulthood. For more information, call 301-883-6200.
School Bus Driver Fair
PGPCP hiring officials are hosting a School Bus Driver Fair from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19 at Dr. Henry Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro.
PGCPS bus drivers provide the safe transportation of students and school personnel. Interested candidates must meet requirements that include:
• Maryland – Complete Driving Record
• District of Columbia – 10-Year History Driving Record
• Virginia – Seven-Year History
• No more than 3 points in your 10-year driving history
• Ability to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
Reimaging African American Art
More than 30 high school students in the Charles H. Flowers High School Community Referenced Instruction program recently produced an art exhibit inspired by the work of local African American artists.
Upon being awarded a Maryland Humanities mini-grant, special education teacher LeAnn Holden-Martin partnered with local artists who agreed to loan artwork to the school.
Using those works as a launchpad, students created their own interpretations — vibrant and imaginative art pieces made of paints, chalks, papers, fabrics and more.
The exhibit, “What We See: African American Art Through the Eyes of High School Students with Special Needs,” features their collective artwork and the documentation of the process.