Tag Archives: Food

Junior Cert Home Ec Practical’s 2016

Well done to 3rd year Home Economics students who recently completed their cookery practical exam for JC Home Economics. The exam accounts for 35% of their total grade and students did themselves proud. A variety of dishes were prepared and cooked from savoury dishes like Chicken Curry, Beef Lasagne, Chicken and Broccoli Bakes, Quiche, Spaghetti Bolognese, Healthy Chicken Wraps, Herb Crusted Cod with wilted spinach and sweet potato wedges & Vegetable Soup  to sweet treats like scones, muffins and decorated buns for a special occasion. Being able to cook fresh nutritious meals are a fundamental life skill for students and the group most certainly showcased all their skills in the exam.

Students also completed a craft project  ( a decorative cushion for their bedroom) worth 15% of the overall exam which was also marked. Check out some of the projects below.

Healthy Living Week 2015

 

A variety of activities were held in school during Healthy Living Week this year. The aim of this themed week in school is to highlight the importance of subjects like Home Economics and PE in school and engage with the entire student and staff body with issues like nutrition, healthy food choices and physical activity. Bodywhys launched the weeks event with a workshop for students on the area of eating disorders, body perceptions and how to help someone with an eating disorder. Breakfast club held throughout the week included breakfast cookery classes. ‘Fakeaway’ cookery classes also took place where students cooked modified healthier versions of chicken strips and wedges. Cross Curricular links between subjects included produce grown by Ag Science students being used up in the Home Ec kitchen. The arrival of our new chicks in the Ag Science Department also linked in with the week. To encourage students food choices at lunch time a ‘healthy lunchbox’ competition was judged and prizes for the most balanced and nutritious lunch box contents were awarded. TY’s went on a visit to Knockvicar Organic Centre to learn more about food grown in polytunnels, food sustainability and got to use the wood fired stove outside and enjoyed healthy pizza’s cooked from it.

Lunch time activities included tug of war between teachers and students and also a Teacher V student volleyball game.  Mr. Duignan and student Oisin McGovern also participated in an omelette cook off in the Home Ec kitchen. To link in with Jamies Olivers Food Revolution Day on Friday 15th May, Ms. Cooney organised a Fruity Friday promotion in the school canteen where students enjoyed a variety of colourful fruit pots, exotic fruit kebabs, orange wedges and strawberry smoothie shots. The weeks events concluded with a Health Quiz. Congrats to all the winners of the various competitions throughout the week. Thank you to all who engaged in the event and staff who helped out and participated in various games and activities which always makes the event memorable.

Check out the following links for more information on healthy eating tips and food education

www.foodrevolutionday.com

www.safefood.eu

Concern Hunger Hero Certificates

Transition Year’s undertook a variety of activities around the area of world hunger and food poverty for their DE Module. They participated in a CONCERN workshop on the area of World Hunger and learnt more about how people in developing countries are affected by lack of food. Another activity they undertook was the St Vincent De Paul Christmas Food Appeal where various food boxes were donated in school and helped those in need on the lead up to Christmas. This was part of their work during Social Awareness Week. The final activity students took part in was the Concern Fast prior to Christmas (along with some of the Junior students) where the total amount raised for Concern was €857.66 . Well done to all the students in school who participated in the fast and helped raise a fantastic amount for Concern.  As a result of their effort and work in this area they were each awarded a Hunger Heroes Certificate from Concern in recognition of their commitment to understanding more about this topic.

Concern Workshop on World Hunger

As part of  the Development Education (DE) module being carried out in school the Transition Year group participated in a workshop on World Hunger which was facilitated by Claire O Carroll from Concern. Some shocking facts learnt –

1 in 8 people in our world will go hungry today!

Women do 66% of the world’s work, produce 50% of the world’s food but only earn 10% of the world’s income and own 1% of the world’s property…. and 60% of the world’s hungry are women!

A child dies every 12 seconds from hunger related diseases!

Students are working towards achieving their Hunger Hero Certificates for work carried out in our DE theme of World Hunger and Food Poverty.

Fair-trade Fortnight 2015

Fair-trade is an alternative approach to conventional trade and is based on a partnership between some of the most disadvantaged farmers and workers in the developing world and the people who buy their products. Fair-trade offers us a powerful way to reduce poverty through our everyday shopping. 

Fair-trade Fortnight was held this year from 23rd February-8th March. Students learnt all about fair-trade and its importance through the DE programme in school. The Transition Year students then got involved in an organised event during Fair-trade Fortnight by participating in a fair-trade parade in our nearest designated Fair-trade town (Carrick on Shannon). Students got the opportunity to meet and hear Chief Adam Tempuri (a cashew nut farmer from Ghana) speak about the difference we make to his families life by supporting fair-trade.

After the event students visited the local farmers market which runs every Thursday in Carrick. They visited the various stalls to see what local farmers and producers has to offer and enjoyed sampling some of these delights. IMG_5501[1]

 

Visit to Irish Aid Centre

On Monday 1st December, Transition Year students along with Ms Cooney and Ms Clarke visited the Irish Aid Centre in Dublin. The purpose of this workshop was to learn more about the work of Irish Aid. The visit is part of the Development Education module the group are participating in this year in school. Students learnt about the realities of life in a rural African community and about how Ireland is working with other countries to fight hunger and poverty in some of the poorest countries in the world.

 

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