Lincoln School in Joliet unveils new kitchen equipment to serve students – Shaw Local

JOLIET — In an effort to correct a serious oversight in Joliet's Lincoln School Safe Schools program, the Will County Regional Office of Education has opened the door to more opportunities for students at its education center.

On April 24, District Superintendent Dr. Lisa Capparelli-Ruff, along with local government and school officials, unveiled Lincoln School's new kitchen facility, which will be used to provide food services and educational opportunities for students. We celebrated the ribbon cutting.

“When I was elected in July, I asked for a tour of Lincoln School,” Capparelli-Ruff told the crowd gathered in the school's gymnasium. “I asked to see the school lunch room and they said, 'Oh, we don't feed the kids here.'”

at 960 Royce Avenue in Joliet, even though state and federal laws require students to have meal times during class and low-income students are eligible for free meals. One Lincoln school did not have functional kitchen facilities.

Lincoln School serves students in grades 6 through 12 who have academic or behavioral challenges in the regular school program.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Capparelli-Ruff spoke with John Bays of Bays Investment Corporation, which owns the school site, Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow, Pete Collarelli of ExxonMobil, and others who are helping bring the project together quickly. He expressed his gratitude to local leaders for their efforts. New Kitchen Resources.

“It takes great people to accomplish great things, and I've met some great people in this job,” Capparelli-Ruff said. “I told John, [Bays] When I said I wanted to renovate the kitchen, he said, “What do you want to do?” The existing kitchen was a small space between the gym and an area they called “the dungeon.” John has tripled in size in less than a month since we started. So, I am truly grateful. ”

“I wanted it to be bigger,” Bays said. “The problem was lack of space, but she [Caparelli-Ruff] We need it and the school is a good tenant. Since we have a lot of staff, we sent them out to complete the work as quickly as possible. ”

The new eat-in kitchen is not only spacious, but has a very modern and sophisticated look, with countertop cooking space, dishwasher, commercial sink, hob, overhead ventilation system and two commercial-sized units provided by our Glasgow office. A refrigerator is provided. .

“I am very fortunate and blessed to work with Jim Glasgow,” Capparelli-Ruff said. When he heard that the children were not eating, he immediately said: “He has two commercial refrigerators, do you want them?''

“We've had refrigerators since we bought the Children's Advocacy Center,” Glasgow explained. “This building previously housed a kindergarten that had a kitchen, but we didn't need that for our use. It was the perfect combination of support.”

Mr. Glasgow spoke of his passion for Lincoln School and its students. Many of the students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, are behind academically, or have problems with truancy or behavioral problems in their regular school districts.

“I was born homeless in an orphanage,” Glasgow said. “The only reason I'm here is because I won the lottery and had great parents. I was lucky. A lot of kids aren't like that. Some of the students live in motels, some of them are homeless. Some of them are, but of course they are behind. We need to change our philosophy on this. If we take care of these children while they are young, they will be able to support themselves in the future. Everyone should support this.”

The eat-in kitchen will not only provide space for school meals, but will also be used as a learning resource for Lincoln School students.

One wall of the renovated space is taken up by grow trays for the hydroponic lab, which Capparelli-Ruff said students use to grow vegetables in science classes and later. The students plan to use it in their cooking classes.

The hydroponic lab was provided by Colarelli and Exxon Mobile.

A meal preparation class will also be included as part of a new agreement between Will County ROE and Joliet Junior College to help students earn dual credit.

This new partnership will allow students to earn JJC credits in multiple programs, including Microsoft Sweets and Food Services, increasing their chances of finding a job upon graduation.

“This is something very concrete and we can see the results,” Glasgow said. “There are some problems where you spend money and nothing happens, but in this kitchen you will get results. I hope the community will see our first students use their food service credits to get high-paying jobs in restaurants. I can’t wait.”