May 1, 2015 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 11A
Middle schoolers go head to head in friendly cook-off
Event held as part
of 4-H After-school
Cooking Program
By Katherine Lacaze
Seaside Signal
Six middle school stu-
dents, comprising three
teams, clashed in the kitchen
for a friendly cook-off that
exhibited and tested their
skills through making stir-fry
and smoothies.
The competition, held
at the Seaside High School
culinary arts room April 22,
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4-H After-school Cooking
Program. The free program,
hosted by the Oregon State
University Extension Ser-
vice, is put on every year in
Seaside for sixth- through
eighth-graders, and students
don’t have to be involved
with the larger Clatsop Coun-
ty 4-H Club to participate.
“What we’re trying to
teach the kids is kitchen safe-
ty, chopping skills and to not
be afraid to try new things
and just to be creative in the
kitchen,” said Sandra Carl-
son, the 4-H coordinator for
Clatsop County.
The program always cul-
minates in a cook-off, held
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During the three preceding
weeks, the students learned
chopping skills by making
quesadillas, salsa and gua-
camole; were instructed in
making bread dough for piz-
zas; and practiced their cook-
off dishes. The recipes vary
from year to year, but the
fundamental principles being
taught often remain the same,
Carlson said.
Previously the program
was held at the Bob Chisholm
Community Center, but be-
cause the space also was be-
ing used for other programs
– which was not ideal for ei-
ther group – the program was
moved to the high school this
year, Carlson said.
“We’re extremely thank-
ful to be able to use this
space,” she added.
For the competition, the
teams had to make a stir-
fry, rice and smoothie or
infused water – although
all the teams chose to make
smoothies this time. Each
team was required to use a
different stir-fry recipe that
they pre-selected, and it
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chopped vegetables.
Team Anonymous, which
included
seventh-grader
Kara Spell and eighth-grader
Cori Biamont, cooked a pork
pineapple stir-fry and made
a strawberry smoothie with
pineapple.
KATHERINE LACAZE PHOTO
Eighth-grader Madelynn Brown serves a panel of judges plates of stir fry for them to taste and evaluate during a cook-off held as part of the 4-H After-school
Cooking Program. Brown and her teammate, Dalton Smith (not pictured), made a Thai curry dish with pork, along with a banana vanilla smoothie.
KATHERINE LACAZE PHOTO
Seventh-graders Briana Fraley, left, and Kayla Vowels made up team Vegetarian Vampires
for the 4-H After-school Cooking Program cook-off held April 22 at the Seaside High School
culinary arts room. The cook-off was the finale of a four-week long program put on by the
Oregon State University Extension Service.
Seventh-graders Kayla
Vowels and Briana Fraley,
the Vegetarian Vampires,
made a spicy chicken stir-fry
and a banana smoothie using
a sugar substitute.
Lastly,
eighth-graders
Dalton Smith and Made-
lynn Brown, the No Brainers
team, made a Thai curry pork
stir-fry and banana vanilla
smoothie.
The judges evaluated
the teams on etiquette, cre-
ativity and teamwork while
they were cooking and then
judged the dishes for pre-
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The judges consisted of Tita
Montero, a city councilor
and the Seaside Downtown
Development Association
executive director; Dar-
ren Gooch, Sunset Empire
Park & Recreation District
IT and marketing manager;
Rod Nichols, a North Coast
Food Web board member;
Mary Gaffrey, who former-
ly worked in food service in
the Astoria School District;
and Mary Blake, a Master
Gardner and North Coast
Food Web board member.
Some of the judges were
repeats, while others volun-
teered their services for the
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“I’ve always wanted to be
a judge on a cooking show,”
said Montero, one of the
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had been given a similar op-
portunity.
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appreciation for a program
that teaches children to cook.
“To experience kids pre-
Seaside School District to implement
college savings awareness program
side’s going to be a pilot,
and it doesn’t really surprise
me because we are very
The Seaside School Dis- receptive to anything that
WULFWLVRQHRI¿YHGLVWULFWVWR helps the kids,” said Angela
pilot a state program to raise Fairless, a member of Sea-
DZDUHQHVVDERXWWKHEHQH¿W side Heights’ Parent-Teach-
of families getting a head er Organization.
start on college savings.
With
both
Seaside
The Oregon College Sav- Heights and Gearhart ele-
ings Plan, which is part of the mentary schools participat-
Oregon 529 College Savings ing, the program will impact
Network, announced the Be more than 700 students.
College Ready program just
“Parents sort of get the
recently. The program will idea of college savings at
kick off in September.
that kindergarten age when
“We really want to fos- they’re dropping their kids
ter a college-going culture RIIIRUWKH¿UVWWLPH7KHUH¶V
in our state and we want to something that sort of clicks
make sure that every kid in,” Parker said. “Our goal
who wants to should have is, if that doesn’t click in,
the opportunity to go re- if you hear about it at your
gardless of money, or family school, it’s going to click in.
situation or anything else,” So that’s why the elementa-
said Michael Parker, execu- ries are so important to us at
tive director of the Oregon this time.”
529 College Savings Net-
The state’s goal with the
work. “We want every kid 529 program, Parker said, is
to know that they can be to have compound interest
college ready, regardless of working for people rather
their situation.”
than against them. A fami-
The Oregon College ly can save about $35,000
Savings Plan chose Seaside by putting aside $200 per
School District because the month for 10 years at a 7
group was looking for geo- percent rate of return, earn-
graphic diversity and vary- ing approximately an extra
ing district sizes when pi- $11,000 in interest. In con-
loting the Be College Ready trast, borrowing $35,000 at a
program. Also, the Confed- 6.8 percent interest rate and
eration of Oregon School paying it off over 10 years
Administrators suggested equals $400 per month.
Seaside would embrace the
The program starts by
program, Parker said.
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“It’s awesome that Sea- as 529 College Savings
By Katherine Lacaze
Seaside Signal
Schools. To become certi-
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information about the Ore-
gon College Savings Plan
on its website, have savings
plan materials available
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monthly updates with stu-
dents and parents and host
an informational session
about college funding for
parents and the local com-
munity.
The schools, in return,
will receive homework
folders, pencils, pens, book-
marks and posters each year.
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also will receive a $529 do-
nation to its predetermined
classroom fund and a 529
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designation is meant to be a
reminder to save for college.
“It’s good to give parents
and students a goal for the
future beyond elementary
school, high school,” Gearhart
Elementary School Principal
Juli Wozniak said. “When we
have a goal, sometimes we
make different choices, posi-
tive choices.”
Fairless agreed.
“When we visualize our-
selves doing something, when
we think we can do it, when we
talk about doing it, it becomes
much more possible and likely
to happen,” she said.
The program will involve
educating parents about how
to plan for future college ex-
penses, motivating kids with
classroom materials and
partnering with local busi-
ness and civic organizations
to reinforce the message that
it’s important to save for col-
lege as early as possible.
What that means for Sea-
side is “we’re going to work
with everybody,” Parker
said. “It’s not just going to
be a school-based event. We
want the community to be
involved as well.”
“It’s totally nonideologi-
cal, it’s totally nonpartisan;
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said John Valley, the out-
reach director of Oregon
529 College Savings Net-
work.
In addition to Seaside,
the Be College Ready will
be piloted in the Hermis-
ton, Grants Pass, McMinn-
ville and North Clackamas
school districts. The goal is
to expand the kindergarten
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every year and ultimately
offer it to every school dis-
trict statewide.
“We do also want to
make sure we touch base
with those parents of older
kids who can get informa-
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nancial aid and scholarship
opportunities,” Parker said.
For more information
about the Oregon College
Savings Plan, visit www.Or-
egonCollegeSavings.com,
call 866-772-8464, or go the
program’s Facebook page.
KATHERINE LACAZE PHOTO
Eighth-grader Dalton Smith cooks meat for a stir fry during a cook-
off held as part of the 4-H After-school Cooking Program on April
22. Smith teamed up with Madelynn Brown (not pictured) and
the judges determined the No Brainers, as they called themselves,
excelled in the area of flavor and texture for their dish and drink.
paring food for themselves
and also for other people is a
real, real privilege,” she said.
The judges determined
team Anonymous excelled in
the areas of kitchen etiquette
and teamwork; the No Brain-
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and the Vegetarian Vampires
were noted for their delicious
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tional presentation. They each
were given a gift bag from the
OSU Extension Service.
4-H Program Assistant
Jared Delay and volunteers
Katie Paaso and Michael
Hinton were on site to mon-
itor the students.
Paaso, who has been in-
volved with 4-H for 37 years,
had a simple answer to why
she’s stuck with it so long:
“the kids.”
“When you look at them
and you think, ‘this is our
future,’ ... then you think,
‘we’re not going to be half
bad, after all,’” she said.
SHS marks Earth Day
Seaside High School students collect garbage around
the high school campus for Earth Day, and finished the
school day by planting a cherry blossom tree. Senior
photographer Whitney McQuilliams recorded the
event for posterity.