The Scoop: Drama, Robotics, and Future Chef Recognitions

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Sodexo district manager Scott Hoyle, 2024 Oak Harbor Future Chefs winner Aria King, student chefs Sam Adams, Joseph Kuehl, Lilah Useman, and director of OHPS nutrition services Melissa Miller.

Oak Harbor Public Schools Crowns Future Chef On Saturday Oak Harbor Public Schools participated in the Future Chefs National Challenge by Sodexo. The focus of the event is to help educate kids on healthy eating habits. Four aspiring chefs from Oak Harbor Intermediate School (OHI) battled for prizes that included a complete cooking set, knife set, mixing bowls, gifted cooking class, and more. Joseph Kuehl prepared a stuffed pizza pretzel, Lilah Useman prepared chicken bacon pasta, Sam Adams prepared a pecan pie muffin, and Aria King prepared banana cinnamon pancakes. Students had just two hours to make their dish from start to finish and plate it for the judges - with a little help from volunteer Oak Harbor High School culinary student sous chefs. After much deliberation, Aria’s banana cinnamon pancakes won the top prize! Aria’s recipe will be entered into a national competition with other regional winners. The winning national recipe and three other student-created recipes from the contest will be added to the school menus in a promotional series next school year.  Interning at the Pacific Northwest Naval Air Museum Logan, a student of Exceptional Academy, enjoys his internship at the Pacific Northwest Naval Air Museum. He is working on a step-by-step guide for their Flight Simulator. Oak Harbor's Pacific Northwest Naval Air Museum provides an opportunity to learn more about the naval history of Whidbey Island. Have you visited? It's Washington State School Retirees Appreciation Week! We are so thankful for our retirees - many of whom still volunteer within our schools! Each fall we welcome our retirees with an event to show our gratitude and to update on current events within our district. Take a look back at the album from our Retiree Lunch this past fall. Do you recognize any faces? The Harvest of the Month blueberry kale smoothies received glowing recommendations from students at Crescent Harbor Elementary this week!  This month we partnered with the Puget Sound Food Hub from the Northwest Food Hub Network to use blueberries grown by Silva Family Farm in Oak Harbor and Kale grown from Griffin Creek Farm in the Snoqualmie Valley.  Ms Laiza’s class at Hand-in-Hand Early Learning Center has been watching their caterpillars very closely this past week. Now that they are in a chrysalis, the students are predicting when the transformation will happen. They are very excited and anxious to see the butterflies! Hillcrest Elementary students built leprechaun traps and went on a leprechaun hunt this week!

While prepping the garden bed for spring and removing weeds, Mrs. Brodt's class at Olympic View Elementary got their hands dirty and tasted some Sour Leaf! Oak Harbor Drama Students Recognized, Invited to Perform at International Thespian Festival OHHS Drama Club, Thespian troupe 6307, attended the Washington State Thespian Festival this past weekend in Ellensburg.   They were awarded a Bronze Honor Troupe award which recognizes achievement in theatre participation, production and outreach.  Eclipse Garret won the Dana Brown Thespian Scholarship for study in theatre education. The troupe performed Nellie by Robby Steltz, from last year's Drama Fest and received a Superior rating. Nellie was chosen as the Chapter Select and will be performed at the International Thespian Festival at Indiana University in June! OHHS Robotics Team Receives Impact Award and Heads to District Finals in Portland The Impact Award is the most prestigious award at FIRST and honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the mission of FIRST. Congratulations to our Wildcats, the Impact Award winners at last weekend's Bonney Lake competition. As stated by the judges: "This team impressed the judges with how they spread and utilize STEM skills to those in their community. Not only do they support eight FLL teams and three FTC teams but they have also become beacons of support in their community, hosting numerous events to uplift young minds in technology, ensuring robotics for all. But their commitment extends beyond robotics. They've built ramps and modified gardens, ensuring 'accessibility' and 'inclusion' are more than just words in their community. They've also tackled societal issues head-on, making significant strides in menstrual equity and empowering student voices through legislation." Follow their journey through their active Facebook community

Olympic View Elementary would love your help tomorrow to get their garden ready for spring. The more, the merrier, so please bring along anyone who would like to join in the fun. Don't forget to bring your own gloves, unless you enjoy getting your hands dirty. And if you happen to have a large level, they could use it.

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