The Waukon High School Food and Fitness Club (FFI) has been resurrected! Five mixed-year high school students felt they were not being taught enough in school about how to cook and provide food for themselves after graduation. Students, especially seniors, voiced concerns of inadequacy when it comes to shopping for food, eating healthy foods, cooking meals, and reading recipes. Other students came forward and expressed their desires to learn how to grow healthier foods as a way of saving money in the future. As students heard about this club, attendance grew from 5 students to 35 regular participants.
These students are currently meeting bi-weekly to expose themselves to locally-sourced produce, fitness tips and techniques, and new dishes. After school, students have already committed to growing fruits and vegetables for their cooking lessons, as well as learning farming techniques to care for the school gardens.
The garden provides a space for students to be active as they care for plants. FFI intends to begin after-school cooking classes in November, where they will focus on learning how to shop for local foods and fresh ingredients, about different elements and machines in the kitchen, how to process food and read recipes, and how to build a healthy meal. Stay tuned for how this group evolves!
