Southwest Open School debuted a new kitchen this week.
The kitchen contains new industrial-grade equipment, including sinks, a dishwasher and refrigerator. It will be used to process food, including produce from the school garden, which was constructed in 2015, said SWOS board president Uriah Hubbard.
“Our students are focused on growing and learning about produce,” Hubbard said.
Board members and school staff wanted to remodel the kitchen to have the ability to process food from the garden and serve it as part of school lunches, Hubbard said.
Students in an intensive service class built the garden in 2015, and more components were added this year. SWOS students take “intense” courses at the beginning and end of each school year, devoting three to four weeks to a single course, Hubbard said.
The permaculture-focused garden includes raised beds, a clay oven and an outdoor classroom complete with a fire pit and shade trellis. Vegetables such as potatoes, corn, onions, chard and leeks are grown in the garden.
SWOS also purchased a new school bus for the upcoming school year. The cost of the $37,000 bus largely was funded by donations, including a $27,454 contribution from Onward Legacy Foundation.