Students in the Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District in Rio Rico participated in the 2022 Sodexo Future Chefs Challenge, in which they took to the kitchen to cook up original recipes.
The local contest, which took place at Calabasas School on March 30, was part of Sodexo’s national initiative to get students thinking about healthy food choices, while encouraging them to take active roles in the kitchen.
Judges assessed the meals based on originality, taste, kid friendliness, the use of healthy ingredients and presentation.
The top winners in the Santa Cruz Valley School District were Sarah Miranda, a fifth grader at Mountain View Elementary, who who made her Crazy Cajun Pasta; Gema Hernandez, a third grader at Calabasas School, took second place with her Wazowski Nachos; and Emily Rodriguez, a fourth grader at San Cayetano School, who came in third with her Rataouille.
Third grader Victoria Guerrero of San Cayetano School was a runner-up with her Shrimp Sushi, as was third grader Janie West of Mountain View Elementary with her French Rataouille.
A+ schools
The Arizona Educational Foundation announced the names of 21 Arizona public schools that received the A+ School of Excellence Award earlier this year, five of which are in Pima County.
The local recipients of the award are Corona Foothills Middle School, Cottonwood Elementary and Ocotillo Ridge Elementary School in Vail School District; Elvira Elementary School in Sunnyside Unified School District; and Robert S. Richardson Elementary School in Flowing Wells Unified School District.
Schools are evaluated in the areas of student focus and support, school culture, active teaching and learning, curriculum, leadership, community and parent involvement, and assessment data.
Winning schools receive $500 and a banner designating them as an A+ School of Excellence, a title they get to keep for four years.
