After Schoolers’ members tour the Bus Stop Bistro.
Chef Debra Reynolds and Counselor Susan Reyes of LaGrone ATC show off the inside of the renovated school bus/food truck.
Nancy Burns
The After Schoolers welcomed Susan Reyes, the Counselor of LaGrone Advanced Technology Complex (ATC), at our May meeting. Ms. Reyes explained plans for the next school year and played an informative video made by the high school students presenting a multitude of programs offered at the school.
Denton ISD opened the Sarah and Troy LaGrone Advanced Technology Complex in 2006 as a place for students to more aggressively prepare for careers after high school. As of 2020, the ATC offered classes in welding, cosmetology, hospitality, culinary arts, auto mechanics, law enforcement, firefighting, and other trades. Juniors and seniors attend core classes—think English, math, history and science—at their traditional high schools for half of the school day before traveling to the ATC to take career-specific courses. Many of those classes culminate in students testing for industry certifications. A portion of the district’s funding from the state also comes from how prepared students are for futures in college, careers, or the military. With the new name of LaGrone Academy, the faculty will soon be able to welcome the ATC’s first full-time students.
Our second guest speaker was Debra Reynolds, the instructor and chef of the Culinary Arts Program. Learners at the LaGrone ATC worked across content areas on the recent successful campus wide project “Bus Stop Bistro” food truck. The project, completed in 2019, utilized all areas to plan, fabricate, and operate a converted school bus into a food truck that serves meals throughout the community. The project was built by students and is operated by students. Ms. Reynolds drove the food truck to the clubhouse parking lot so we would have the opportunity to tour it. What a treat! What an impressive accomplishment! We hope to visit the Bus Stop Bistro next school year.
The After Schoolers’ mission is to support teachers in the community, specifically teachers of LaGrone ATC and Borman Elementary. We look forward to doing more “in person” activities in the near future.