Students at Bioscience High School are connecting with the downtown community through a cookbook they’ve put together as a school fundraiser that showcases their knowledge of local food and healthy eating.
The goal is for every family at the high school to be represented in the cookbook, which will hopefully be available by the holiday season, said Lynn Palacio, a humanities teacher at the school, located on the corner of East Pierce and North Fifth streets.
Community members, local merchants and elementary school families were also encouraged to submit recipes so the book can be an accurate representation of the local community and act as a mutually beneficial project for the school and community, Palacio said.
As part of the Phoenix Union High School district, Bioscience High School has a science emphasis with a curriculum geared toward students specifically pursuing scientific careers.
Some Bioscience High School teachers are using the cookbook as an educational opportunity by having epidemiology students rate recipes for how heart healthy they are.
“(The cookbook) shows correct portions, what’s healthy to eat and when,” said Cally Mask, a senior epidemiology student with a focus on obesity.
Mask said she got involved with the project to help provide the community with recipes that are “very simple, not processed and healthier.”
With some kid-friendly recipes, Palacio said the high school students could potentially host workshops for younger kids to show them how to cook.
The cookbook should pay for itself and earn additional money for students to apply for grants to fund campus and community projects that they are working on.
This year the school is focusing on community involvement and establishing connections with Roosevelt Row, local elementary schools, the Growhouse and the Phoenix Public Market. The recipes in the cookbook feature foods sold at local markets and stores.
The Growhouse, a boutique and urban community garden, has been working with Bioscience High School for a couple years but has been strengthening the relationship over the past year, said Kenny Barrett, artist and Roosevelt Row project manager.
“Food is a great way to bring people together,” Barrett said. “The cookbook can be another example of that — another way to connect with people.”
Contact the reporter at jessica.zook@asu.edu
