On any list of good-news stories, this one deserves a spot at the top.
California Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross came to Natomas High School on Friday to present food handler certificates to 13 students with mental or physical challenges who studied three hours per day, for two months, to pass a required state test.
They dreamed, they worked hard — and they succeeded.
The students’ joy was infectious at a brief NHS ceremony where they were called one-by-one to receive their certificate and to accept loud applause from several dozen parents and classmates. Posing for photos, they beamed, laughed, waved. All were thrilled.
Their teacher in the NHS Adult Independent Living Skills program, Joel Schwieger, noted that one of the students already has obtained paid employment in the NHS cafeteria. Others can now seek jobs in restaurants, cafeterias or other food outlets.
“I’m just overwhelmed by their ability not only to pass the test but to comprehend the material,” Schwieger said of online studies that encompassed food issues ranging from contamination to equipment cleanliness to temperature requirements. “I’m extremely proud of them.”
Schwieger said he hopes to develop a program where ILS students with food handler certificates man concession stands at Nighthawk football and other games.
For students with disabilities, the food handler’s certificate provides new hope and new prospects for obtaining financial independence. The NHS program is consistent with the District’s Board-approved vision that, “All NUSD students graduate as college and career ready, productive, responsible and engaged global citizens.”
“Food handling and the food safety component of it is in high demand,” Secretary Ross said. “I’m impressed that these students stuck with it, learned a lot – and there will be jobs in their future. They’ll be contributing to the community.”
Besides Ross and Schwieger, Friday’s ceremony in the NHS Adult Independent Living Skills classroom was attended by NUSD Board President Sue Heredia, Trustee Lisa Kaplan, Superintendent Chris Evans, NHS Principal Mark Beebe, and by district administrators overseeing the ILS program.
