I Get to do What? Benefits

of the FACs Classes

By Colin Nichols Staff Reporter

Practical skills range anywhere from helping preschool toddlers create beaded necklaces to cooking a broth-based soup, and even beyond. Junior Aubrey Vantassel is a student in Child Development 3, which centers around not only researching but what the realm of real-life skills require: hands-on experience. Even better, Vantassel has to figure out how to solve most of her problems on her own.

The FACS classes, standing for Family and Consumer Sciences, allow students to test their knowledge and expand their expertise through trial and error in real-life situations, unlike what normally is seen in academic-based classes.

Child Development, taught by Mrs. Kathryn McGuire, centers around researching child development theorists, child nutrition, and societal expectations of children such as what children are expected to be able to do at a certain age. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays during hours two to four, students work directly with preschool children aged from three to four years old in groups varying in number. Sometimes it’s one student working with one toddler or five.

“We have a certain curriculum to cover so on some days I’ve been teaching a math lesson and on others I’m teaching science during circle time, like gross motor skills, kind of stuff like that,” Vantassel said. “The class shows growth in the children and how each of those skills really make a difference in their development.”

Vantassel, next year when she’s a senior, will take Pathway to Teaching, which will allow her to work as an intern at elementary schools.

“Child Development III shows lots of empathy for others and learning from the kids and it really makes a difference, learning how each one of them is their own individual,” Vantassel said. “As long as the elementary school teacher wants me as a TA, I will be able to work with her, which is so amazing for the people who want to take the opportunity.”

While Child Development classes are geared towards female students, the rest of the FACS classes are more open to everyone. Mrs. McGuire’s goals are not to help a student become very strong academically but to teach them situational skills that can be used universally around children in any career they choose.

“You could sit there and read a book about prints all day long, but then when you actually start doing it, it might not be something that you want to do,” Mrs. McGuire said. “I want to be able to give them as many resources and tools in their toolbox in order to be successful at what they want to do.”

FACS classes give students the chance to decide whether or not they see themselves doing this in the future because of the classes’ practicality. Mrs. McGuire believes the FACS classes should be mandatory.

“At first, they’re clueless, they’re standing there with their head barely above water, and I let them fail because I think it’s an imperative part of growing,” Mrs. McGuire said. “I also want to give them the opportunity to explore the field of education or explore the field of working with children so they can solidify their decision.”

Colors are everywhere in the world. Housing and Interior Design and Fashion Construction are taught by Mrs. Adrienne Breen. Senior Brock Slinkard says students learn more about colors by taking Housing and Interior Design instead of art. By taking this class, students will realize how colors fit with each other, and the continuous personal immersion of the material throughout the design class will last throughout the rest of Slinkard’s and others’ lives.

“You have your individual perspective, your individual lens that you see,” Slinkard said. “So I can be drawing or coloring a room a certain way, using certain pieces of furniture and stuff as I see fit to the room, but the person across from me I’ve been talking to can show me their paper and I’m like, ‘Oh, I could have used that piece of furniture and it would’ve fit my room so much better.’ You can mix and match and throw ideas out to each other.”

A current project in the design class is creating their own house. Being able to collaborate with classmates throughout this process simulates working together as a team of designers in the real world. Students also learn about famous homes and the historical architecture of both the outside and inside parts of buildings. This can help students like Slinkard know what they are looking for in a future home and can lead to conversations about architecture they recognize.

“If you play a sport and you’re watching that sport, you can understand what’s going on, so when I walk through a building, it’s like I understand the rules of the game. I understand what’s going on,” Slinkard said. “You look up and it’s a lighting fixture, you look down and it’s flooring or tiles or it’s the furniture you’re sitting on and you can start talking about that.”

Students learn all about how different tools and appliances work in Fashion Development, and Mrs. Breen says this allows students to be more creative because they’re designing and creating so many things. In fashion classes, students get to practice tools such as irons and sewing machines to create articles of clothing with different types of fabric.

“They’re hands on, whether they’re creating a garment, whether it’s a room design or a sketch, or whether they’re showing their knowledge of design or of the color wheel. They figure out a lot about themselves like what they like and don’t like,” Mrs. Breen said.

Foods and Culinary Arts are the other classes in FACS that provide a strong base for any student looking to expand their culinary horizon. Junior Claire Sieveking is currently taking Culinary Arts. In such food-related classes, students learn how to cook recipes, the histories of many different foods, and how to properly clean their workstations. In Culinary Arts, labs are about four days a week, whereas in prerequisite Foods classes, labs are about once a week.

“We make sure that all of our food is safe for everyone to eat,” Sieveking said. “Culinary Arts teaches time management and organization because we’re on a time crunch.”

FACS culinary classes teach fundamental skills that are very important as proficiency in the kitchen ensures the amazing nutrition and health of students, and also the class prepares students for potential culinary careers. Regardless of whether or not the students intend to pursue such a career in the future, the skills they learn will benefit them for the rest of their life.

“It just shows that you can express yourself through the way you do everything. For example, our gingerbread house had a pink theme. We expressed our personality through it,” Sieveking said. “It’s a really fun environment and a fun class.”