Plumas Charter School announces the kitchen at Indian Valley Academy welcomes a new leader this school year as Karisa Joseph takes over the school’s culinary program following Veronica Tilton’s move to independent study. With a focus on hands-on learning, community connections and opportunities for students to build practical skills, Joseph is helping carry forward a program that brings classroom learning to the table, said the school.
Joseph lives in Greenville with her husband and their five children. In addition to teaching at IVA, she works for the Indian Valley Recreation and Parks District, where she manages the fitness center. “Her work in both education and the local community reflects the close connections that help make IVA a community school and a part of life in Greenville,” said PCS.
The culinary program gives students opportunities to develop food preparation, kitchen management, teamwork and hospitality skills while contributing to events that bring the school community together. Students also gain experience through partnerships with local organizations and businesses, connecting what they learn in the kitchen with agricultural resources.
The school said that connection was on display in September when Lost Sierra Food Project hosted a field trip for IVA culinary students at Rugged Roots Farm in Quincy, giving them an opportunity to explore local agriculture and see firsthand where food begins. The experience complemented the school’s growing efforts to connect agriculture and culinary education through its career technical education pathways.
Students also put their skills to work preparing food for PCS’s September welcome-back staff meeting, hosted at IVA. The Lost Sierra Food Project donated vegetables for the meal, giving students fresh ingredients to work with while highlighting the value of community partnerships in supporting student learning.
These experiences build on the work underway in IVA’s garden, which is being rehabilitated through a two-year grant from the North Valley Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief and Recovery Fund Dixie Fire Grant Program. As students in the CTE agriculture program prepare garden beds and plan future plantings, the long-term goal is for produce grown on campus to supply the culinary program. “Together, the garden and kitchen offer students a practical look at how agriculture, food preparation and service connect,” said PCS.
The community will have its first opportunity of the school year to enjoy the culinary program’s work when the Early Bird Cafe opens Friday, Oct. 30, from 7 to 9 a.m. The cafe operates in the culinary room at the high school in Greenville, giving students a chance to put their culinary and hospitality skills into practice while welcoming community members to campus. “The program is an important part of IVA’s CTE food services pathway, helping students build experience they can carry into future education and careers,” said the school.
PCS invites community members to stop by for the cafe’s first morning of the school year, support IVA’s culinary students and help welcome Joseph to her new role.
