Come fall of 2012, St. Anthony’s School will be able to offer cooking and sewing classes in the new home ec/clothing lab.
Equipped with four cooking stations, each having its own stove, fridge, and dishwasher to help with cleaning up after projects.
Fashion is absolutely brand new to the school. There are 12 completely new machines, along with two sewing sergers.
Chris Bzdel, vice principal at St. Anthony’s, will be teaching the option classes come fall. She was actually part of the planning process for this particular lab. Bzdel said it was a model taken from a school in Taber.
“I actually saw it all set up there, but just knowing it’s your own space, and it’s all there, it’s very exciting,” said Bzdel.
Bzdel said for grades 7-9, the cooking and sewing will start at the basics and gradually build on those skills, everything from how to boil water to hand sewing. She said as they move on to grades 10-12, depending on the level of interest, they can begin to move into more challenging modules including international cuisine and sewing actual garments.
“It’s going to be based really on what they’re interested in as they get in the higher grades,” said Bzdel.
Bzdel said that it is important for St. Anthony’s to offer these options because they teach life long skills.
“Everybody should know how to cook, because eating out gets expensive and adds extra calories. As for sewing, we’ve all had to hem or put a button on at some point,” said Bzdel.
Bzdel said that the sewing portion is not just limited to sewing. It may include knitting, crotcheting, to even jewellery making. These modules will be decided as the students progress in their skills, and depending on where their interest lies.
Both the cooking and sewing programs are based on a Government of Alberta curriculum. There are basic requirements for both skills such as safety, measuring, mixing of foods, and how to properly use a sewing machine. After the basics are met, there is the flexibility to explore a whole variety of options.
“It’s really based on the fundamentals and then each kid expanding from there from where their gifts lie,” said Bzdel.
