The Recipe for Deep Understanding: SCH Thinks Beyond Thanksgiving

Over 47 million people in the United States are currently struggling to feed themselves and their families—a sobering fact that is driving student action at SCH this holiday season. While traditional drives, like the longstanding and successful Turkey and Food Drive, remain a vital part of the campus's efforts, students are engaging in deeper conversations about long-term solutions both in and out of the classroom and across divisions. 

After a recent Fulbright in Senegal helped her study the subject more deeply, CEL teacher Julie Knutson designed and is teaching a new Food Entrepreneurship class in Middle School this year. In her class, 6th graders run through a simulated activity that helps them understand what it takes to allocate resources to survive on minimum wage. And they’re not just learning about a living wage, they’re getting the full picture: history, food production, food waste, hunger, and public policy. 

They are also developing an understanding of how food and community are deeply intertwined. Knutson likes to quote the Spanish-American chef and founder of the nonprofit organization World Central Kitchen, José Andrés: "Food is a form of communication, it’s a way of showing love.” 

Community Commitment and Volunteerism

The SCH community—encompassing faculty, staff, students, and families—demonstrates a strong commitment to service across various organizations and initiatives, reflecting a deep engagement with the local and broader community.

SCH students are taking the lead in creating change. For instance, Community Plate founders (and SCH seniors) Judah Meyer, Leo Cohen, and Damian Melzer-Surkan not only collect and donate surplus cafeteria food to local organizations but also recently shared their progress on a hydroponic gardening initiative with Philadelphia's sustainability leaders and K-12 students from peer schools. This event fostered a community of green changemakers and helped students understand local policy.

“I firmly believe that advocacy and policy are key pieces of the puzzle, and we need to teach students how to interact with public officials and policymakers in the civic sphere to exert pressure on issues that matter to them,” says Knutson, who worked closely with the students and accompanied them to the event.

More recently, the Upper School Service Council made and delivered fresh sandwiches to the Germantown Avenue Crisis Ministry (GACM), underscoring the importance of providing fresh food to our community partners.

"Fresh food is important for food banks and shelters because it allows for variation in options for people to eat," says Upper School Service Council adviser Joyce Zeka. "It gives them something that is not canned or overly processed. Some people do not have the resources to prepare their meals; therefore, it allows them to have a healthier food option and something they feel they can control."

Middle Schoolers in Knutson’s class recently harvested food from the hydroponic garden and cooked a meal to deliver to the organization. They heard from the organization’s volunteer coordinator, which inspired a current 6th grader to commit to doing his Mitzvah project with the organization. An SCH alumnus raised $6,000 for Face to Face with a community dinner when he was a student. 

“Whether it was the people I connected with, the skills I learned, or the failures I made, (this dinner) is the most valuable thing I’ve ever done,” said Cole Benner '24 at the time. 

This service commitment is modeled by faculty and staff. Sarah McDowell, Upper School History chair, dedicates time outside of school to Face to Face Germantown, which provides hot meals, legal, health, and social services to those in need. 

“It’s an amazing place, and a great volunteer opportunity,” says McDowell, who urges others to serve. “You can volunteer in the kitchen, to serve meals, and in other ways.”

Additionally, Middle School art teachers Judy Callas and Mana Khandvala partner with the Woodmere Art Museum and Manna—a healthy food home delivery organization—to deliver student artwork as gifts along with a holiday meal to individuals homebound with chronic illness.

Teaching and Practicing Empathy

Last year, the Capstone project led by juniors Scarlet DiDonato and Ziya Deveaux worked with students in ACE to create food-centered art, which they then incorporated into tote bags to be sold for the benefit of Sunday Love Project. This is just one of several CEL student ventures that have connected SCH to the broader community through food. In fact, one student was so moved by his work in his Food Entrepreneurship class that he decided to start a food truck business. 

Bringing the issue directly to the youngest students, teacher Ellen Ward ’88 organizes the annual Thanksgiving Turkey and Food Drive for the Lower School alongside teacher Laura McManus, offering both aid to the food-insecure through SCH’s partner organizations, GACM (Lower School boys) and St. Vincent’s (Lower School girls), and a tangible lesson in giving.

“When we teach Lower School students about food insecurity, our goal is to build empathy and understanding,” says Ward. “By framing the topic in age-appropriate ways, children begin to see that families experience challenges for many different reasons—and that needing help is a normal part of being human. Books like Maddi’s Fridge and Saturday at the Food Pantry help our students connect to the idea of food insecurity through relatable characters and real-life situations. These stories open the door for meaningful conversations about kindness, community support, and the importance of looking out for one another.”

Our families give throughout the year through various drives organized by SCHers. Recently, St. Vincent's was able to purchase a new refrigerator through the money raised from SCH’s Race Against Hunger. 

Ongoing Engagement

The collective generosity of the SCH community directly addresses immediate needs, reflecting the holistic approach the school takes in both service and education. Knutson circles back to topics often in her class, ensuring that students see the big picture through activities like a virtual visit to The Hunger Museum. She also ensures they understand it’s not a problem that can be solved in a trimester.

“The kids recognize—you don’t close a unit—complex problems deserve to be revisited,” says Knutson. “They’re doing that work.”