SCHS students’ collaboration really pops

Shawano Community High School students in food science, graphic arts and business and marketing courses recently participated in and completed their annual Popcorn Project.

The project, where students needed to design a popcorn flavor, create it in the kitchen and market it to consumers, is truly a collaborative effort joining together multiple classes and different skills. For the past three years, the Popcorn Project originally included just the food science and graphic arts courses, but this year expanded to include the business and marketing class.

The Popcorn Project began after teachers Stacey Homan and Missy Goers noticed that there was overlap between the projects they individually had their students working on and began to consider a collaborative effort between their classes.

The pair saw a lot of correlation between the two projects after seeing what food science did for its final with product development, marketing, and packaging. Homan and Goers thought it would be a creative way to cross collaborate subjects and provide a more real world scenario for the students.

Students only had three weeks from start to finish to complete their projects. The classes joined together for an initial meeting where groups were assigned and contact information and ideas were exchanged. The students were responsible for coordinating and continuing their exchange of ideas necessary to complete the project. From there, they created different popcorn recipes and designed packaging most attractive to consumers.

Along the way, students have noted some challenges in the process. Several students reported that getting feedback from other group members and facing competition could be difficult at times. Others said that handling group dynamics and time management skills were also challenging.

“Learning how each member of the group communicates, and learning what works best for your group,” was a challenge for senior Brooklyn Heling. “Sometimes you need to take charge so things in the project get done.”

Homan and Goers noticed the students had to work to learn the importance of communication, whether it’s verbal or written. The students learned to ask questions and seek answers the same as professionals would in a designer/client relationship.

Despite the challenges, overall student and staff reception of the project is positive. SCHS staff members got to taste the final popcorn flavors and look at the package designs.

The project also has many benefits to the students including group collaboration skills, time management and perhaps students opening their minds to potential career options. In the short term, students enjoyed getting to taste test their popcorn creations, engaging in friendly competition and working collaboratively.

“My favorite part was being in both classes, food science and graphic arts, so I got to work and see how both projects worked,” said senior Caden Young. “The most challenging part was the communication between all of the classes to get the best final project. I learned that there’s a lot of behind the scenes things that go on besides making the food for products to make it to the shelves.”