Dear Escondido Education Foundation & The Peggy Raymond Award
I wanted to thank you so much for the generous grant awarded to our brand new culinary program. With your donation, we were able to purchase four stainless steel workstations for our middle school culinary classroom. These workstations have significantly enhanced the functionality, safety, and professionalism of our space, and have had a noticeable impact on student engagement and learning.
The workstations were used daily for a wide range of culinary tasks including preparing and cutting ingredients, kneading dough, and organizing mise en place for group recipes. We also used the stations as serving lines during school-wide events such as school dances and our Teacher Appreciation Breakfast. Their durability and mobility made setup and cleanup smooth and efficient.
Students were excited about the new tables, often commenting that they “felt like real chefs” working at professional-grade stations. The addition of the stations encouraged teamwork and gave each group a clear and defined workspace, which improved focus and reduced classroom engagement. Some families even shared that their students were more interested in cooking at home, inspired by the professional atmosphere in class.
This project exceeded expectations and has truly elevated the learning environment in our culinary classroom. These workstations were more than just furniture—they were a catalyst for deeper student engagement, improved kitchen flow, and greater pride in our program.
I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and for the support that made it possible. Thank you for investing in our students and helping create an inspiring space for future chefs to learn and grow.
Ms. Paul
Culinary Arts
Hidden Valley Middle School
