One of Chelsea Public School’s goals for their farm-to-school program was to build a wood-fired oven. Despite not receiving a grant to support the project, the school decided to forge ahead.
Students researched the history of bread ovens and wrote a persuasive essay. The school received a mini-grant from Upper Valley Farm to School (UVFTS), which they used to bring a local baker in to teach the students about how to use and build an oven. The middle school students, lead by teacher Eric Anderson, built the oven on their campus.
To celebrate the oven’s completion, the school threw a farm-to-school luncheon, including pizzas cooked in the oven, pesto made of basil from the school garden, and soup made of vegetables from the school’s and students’ gardens. The whole lunch was local! The students prepped all the vegetables for the soup, made the pesto, and were thoroughly excited to try the food they had made. The school invited community members to join in and the day was a great success.
A big thank you goes out to principal Mark Blount who had the idea of the farm-to-school lunch celebration and Food Services Manager Cathy Johnson for making it all happen. Great work, Chelsea Public School!