Morenci High School Culinary Arts III and IV students recently took the ServSafe Food Protection Manager online exam. Sixteen of the 21 examinees passed the 90-question multiple choice exam with a score of 70% or better! The exam is one of several possible industry certifications that all Career and Technical Education (CTE) culinary arts students in the state of Arizona can take.
When asked about the exam, student Gianna Chavez said, “I am extremely proud of myself and my classmates for passing this test! Most will agree with me that this was the hardest test they have ever taken. As a class, we spent months preparing for the big day. Our culinary arts teacher Mrs. Carbajal, created online Kahoot games for us to play to help prepare, and she gave us all of the resources we needed to succeed. Those students who did not pass will have more opportunities to take the test, and we encourage them to do just that.”
Morenci High School’s culinary arts teacher, FCCLA/Paw Express Advisor, and CTE Director, Sherry Carbajal, is a certified ServSafe Food Protection Manager herself. She is also a ServSafe test proctor who can vouch for the extreme difficulty level of the exam. Why spend so much time preparing for a test that is extremely hard to pass and costs money to take? A higher number of students who take and pass industry credentials helps Morenci High School with its A-F school rating with the Arizona Department of Education; this helps to give parents and students confidence that they are attending a quality school whose focus is upon student learning. In addition, “The ServSafe Manager Certification verifies that a manager or person-in-charge has sufficient food safety knowledge to protect the public from foodborne illness.” (servsafe.com) Individuals that become ServSafe certified increase their employability as many restaurants and other food service business owners can save time and money hiring individuals who are already knowledgeable about food safety. (“What can you do with a ServSafe certificate? February 26, 2017 by Brian Klein, https://hospitalitytrainingcenter.com/whats-servsafe-certified/ )
MHS students have been anxiously awaiting their return to the culinary arts classroom and kitchen. The classroom and kitchen were original to MHS when it was built in 1982. It was a traditional home economics kitchen set-up then. Thanks to a renovation that began during Spring Break in March, students will now work in a state of the art commercial kitchen with a classroom that matches.
News information provided by Sherry Carbajal
Students who passed include those pictured above (L-R): Aaron Merz, Alice Aguilar, Quinton Wiltbank, Gianna Chavez, Justin Leatherman, Tori Alanis, Gus Lindsey, Kathy Lara, Clinton Sipes, Kryzzia Cortez, Ezra Laney, GeorgAnna Hartman, and Kade Milhollin. Not pictured: Matteo Ciriello, Gracie Morales, and Alyssa Polanco.