Time to ‘bee’ conscious

The Amazon rainforest is burning. How does that impact me in Allen? Well, it may not physically affect me, but I know that it is horrible for our atmosphere. More importantly, if the Amazon keeps burning, it could disturb rainfall patterns here in the U.S. I know this because I learned about the Amazon rainforest in an after-school environmental club.

Environmental programs at school are integral to teaching students how to respect the environment and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Joining an e-club can be for everyone, regardless of their stance on environmental issues such as climate change. It can motivate them to change and make more environmentally conscious decisions, such as using a reusable water bottle instead of plastic.

Being a part of my school’s environmental club had a longlasting impact on me as I grew up.

Not only did I make many friends at the meetings, but it was also educational and made me excited to learn and be outside. One of my fondest memories of that club was when a beekeeper held a presentation on bees and beekeeping, which taught me how important bees are for our plants and food production. Learning about bees helped me to not be afraid of them, since they are just doing their job pollinating plants.

Additionally, the yearly creek cleanups made my 8-year-old self feel like I was helping the Earth, even if I only picked up a few pieces of trash. As I got older, I became more involved in e-club. In sixth grade, at Earth Fest, I led nature walks through a small part of the Dayspring Nature Preserve and eventually led creek cleanups with the current president of the school’s e-club.

Having a program like this enriched my elementary experience, and helped me learn to care for the environment as well as how important recycling is. One year, the club went on a field trip to the Community Waste Disposal Processing Plant in Irving. It was interesting and educational because I saw all the work that goes into separating recyclable materials from trash. I had no idea how smelly and messy the recycling process was until I went on this tour. I never knew how complicated the sorting process was and it gave me a greater appreciation for the workers dealing with all the tons of material.

The only way environmental clubs can survive is through proper funding, amazing volunteers and sponsors who are passionate to teach students about the natural world around them. Funding is crucial in order to build long-lasting projects that encourage growth and serve as an educational lesson for students. Because of grants and funding from the PTA, Boon’s environmental club was able to build a butterfly garden and seven raised-bed vegetable gardens. Students in the club participated in basic gardening and learned how to grow healthy vegetables, a skill that can be used later in their lives. This wouldn’t have been possible if not for PTA funding and outside grants from State Farm, which played a key role in my exposure to gardening. That knowledge gave me the foundation to help my mom with our own backyard vegetable garden. I would not have had the ability to learn how to plant and take care of a community garden if I wasn’t for the first hand experiences and lessons I learned during my time in the environmental club.

I encourage the citizens of Allen to support environmental clubs. Doing so will enable students to be properly informed and mindful about the environment around them and promote educational activities that not only enrich a child’s understanding of the environment, but help save it too. Parents and educators, if you want to benefit today’s youth, please consider creating an environmental program for your students to participate in and have an impact on our environment.

These types of programs empower students to begin caring for our planet in a positive, healthy, and much needed manner. Environmental clubs can raise money to protect the Amazon rainforest by purchasing land and ensuring it won’t be developed or razed for farming. Small initiatives like this can promote change in our society and beyond. The citizens and educators of allen should consider supporting more environmental initiatives to improve the environment and aid in teaching students healthy habits for the future.

Time to BEE

conscious

Story by | Meghan Holloran

EAGLE/ANGLE / FEATURES A New Blu

Innovating the future of Allen’s cuisine Story By | Khushboo Amarnani

Photos By | Gisselle Alvillar

As I walk into the Blú kitchen, the sight of students working their posts surround me. Some clean while others observe. The kitchen is preparing for Blú’s opening.

“We’re going to be open four days a week,” Head Chef Mathew Denman said. “Our goal is to be open so kids could come get a coffee or a pastry [during privilege periods]”.

Denman is a newcomer to Allen and has a dual degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Dallas, Texas, and Paris, France, and has been in the restaurant industry since he was 15 years old. After going to the University of Oklahoma for one year, he dropped out and enrolled at the Le Cordon Bleu.

“I’ve done everything from busboy to an executive chef,” Denman said. “So I’ve done it all.”

With Denman’s experience, he plans to revamp Blú this year. This includes changes in the menu and restaurant hours. Since its opening in 2011, Blú has had the exact same or similar menu every year. Denman plans to change that by incorporating a Latin American menu with many new dishes, along with having specials every three weeks.

“We’re gonna make a burger and it’s gonna be a phenomenal burger,” said Denman.

Denman plans to take a dish and “blow it out of the water,” by adding all the small parts of a common dish up and making it remarkable.

“We’re trying to make it less higher-end food and more classic Americana, but at the same time making that elevated, like a higher production value of that set item,” said Denman.

Blú has a set yearly budget and orders from Ben E. Keith Company and Kroger for all stock in Blú. All food made and served at Blú is from scratch. “The Russian dressing for the Reuben, we’re making it from scratch,” Denman said. “We’re brazing out our own pork and making our own salsa pico de gallo fresh every day.”

“We’re trying to make it less higher end food and more classic Americana, but at the same time making that elevated, like a higher production value of that set item,” said Denman.

Denman said he plans on having a special every three weeks with different cuisines. With his experience, he plans on going into different cuisines and respecting the art of food all over the world.

“We’re going to do Indian and Ethiopian and so many others,” Denman said. “I don’t want to just make the cuisine. I want to show respect, and I do this with every cuisine, show the cuisine the respect it deserves.”

Students in the culinary program will be learning every aspect of running a restaurant. Not just the cooking, but the cleaning too.

“My kitchen will not be dirty,” Denman said. “They’ll be different students at different stations and they’ll just rotate through the whole kitchen so they get to do everything.” Sophomore Samantha Swartzbaugh said she joined so she could learn how to cook and is enjoying it so far.

“We’ve started to make some food which was fun and nerve-racking when we were selling it,” said Swartzbaugh.

Students will be doing all the work, not only learning. So far they’ve learned about cleaning, arranging the kitchen and preparing dishes, and learning how the work in the kitchen is nonstop. Denman said they’re learning “how a normal day at a restaurant works” without doing bookwork, but instead, a hands on experience. “You know idle hands create problems so we just don’t ever do that,” Denman said. “I took the chairs out. There’s no chairs anymore, you don’t sit in the kitchen.”

Blú opens for lunch and breakfast on Sept. 4. And as Denman said, the chefs of Blú, will be ready for all aspects of food.