It is a safe bet that winter storm on March 23 had a number of grade 3 students from Wellington and Waterloo more than a little irked.
When officials had to cancel school buses, half of the annual Pizza Perfect event for the Upper Grand and Wellington Catholic School Boards had to be cancelled, too.
But the over-400 students who attended the event at the Grand River Raceway on March 24 had a blast.
Kids pressed their noses to the windows to see a sow suckling what appeared to be a dozen baby pigs. Then the kids planted their own tomatoes. They learned that material from pigs is used in jello and in toothpaste. They had a chance to pet a cow, and learned how grains can not only make bread, but also the crust of the pizza that they all seem to love.
The event is an annual one, and Grand River Agricultural Society representative Dorothy Key said usually the society has over 800 students over the two days. Unfortunately, the raceway has other bookings, so there is no rain date for those who missed on the storm day.
She noted that day there were 70 parent volunteers and another 60 volunteers who were running over two dozen learning stations. She said they included society members, and commodity group members such as the Cattlemen’s Association, Pork Producers and Dairy Farmers of Ontario.
Other volunteers included current Wellington County Queen of the Furrow Cassandra Chornoboy, of Rockwood, and retired teachers who took a day to return and see new students.
Centre Wellington Township was also on hand to highlight its water education station.
The idea behind Pizza Perfect to explain to kids about farms and farm products – through one of their favourite foods.
In building a pizza from scratch, farmers produce grains for the crust, tomatoes for the sauce, plus have to raise beef and pork for the sausages, and grow herbs and vegetables for other toppings.
By the time the kids have visited the stations, been introduced to piglets, seen a model of a cow’s stomach and learn where the cheese comes from, they begin to understand all the ingredients that go into making something as simple as a slice of pizza.
The two school boards also managed to get another learning endeavour connected with the event.
Students from Upper Grand and Wellington Catholic boards’ secondary schools participated in the 2011 Regional Technological Skills Competitions that ran between March 24 and March 31 at various sites around the district.
More than 165 students from the two boards entered 35 different competitions in areas as diverse as baking to precision machining, hairstyling to cabinet making. The program is coordinated though the boards’ Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), which prepares students for further education and careers in the skilled trades.
There were at least 11 events such as Robotics with team of four. Those teams go on directly to the provincial competitions.
The award ceremony for the competitions was set for March 31 at John F. Ross Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Guelph at 3pm.
Nearly a dozen students attended Pizza Perfect with cameras, for the photography competition.
Kortney Moore, of Erin District High School, was having a great time taking pictures of students’ faces. She said the best expressions seemed to come from kids trying to be farmers – by chewing straw. The other good expressions came “when they tried to plant their tomatoes.”
Moore soon headed to another building, where her photos would be downloaded into a computer. From there, she would use Photoshop to higlight them, then print them and enter the photography contest.
Erin Teacher Mark Filion said the skills competition was a good way for students to try a skill while still in high school to see if that might be where a job lies.
Moore, though, said she simply enjoys photography as a hobby. She added that she was having a great time at Pizza Perfect.
In the Ontario Technological Skills Competitions, winning students from Upper Grand and Wellington Catholic schools will compete with more than 1,800 elementary, secondary and post-secondary students from across the province. That competition will be held May 2 through 4 at RIM Park in Waterloo.
