FEEST teams up with Chief Sealth International High School Global Leadership Class!

In celebration of National Food Day, FEEST teamed up with Chief Sealth’s Global Leaders to conduct a school-wide game show and taste test. FEEST has been working with the Seattle School District which created a new school food item – “Cowboy Caviar.” This dish is a salsa-like item made with onions, lemon, tomatoes, cilantro, and the garbonzo beans. The results of this taste test will determine whether or not this item will make it on the school lunch menu.
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Chief Sealth was the only school given the opportunity to do a student-run, school-wide taste test of this menu item and collect feedback from their peers that would directly influence the district. Global Leadership – a class taught by Noah Zeichner that fosters youth leadership through exploring global issues, was the perfect class to take on this task.

FEEST mentors Cristina, Roberto, and Meng co-taught 3 Global Leadership classes to prepare and support the students in conducting this event. During these classes, we played “Truth or Dare Trivia,” a game full of stimulating trivia questions and gruesome dares all involving beans. We also broke bread and shared food as well as personal stories about food. We eventually split up into 3 work teams: Game Show, Taste Test, and Hype.

Team Game Show worked on designing the elements of an activity that would engage students in learning about beans while also entertaining them so they would be interested in participating in the taste test. Team Taste Test strategized on how to invite students to try “Cowboy Caviar” as well as making sure they filled out surveys and provided feedback. The Hype Team created a school-wide marketing campaign that included posters, announcements, and elevator speeches to make sure students knew about the taste test.
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On Food Day, Global Leadership students hosted a bean bag game show that filled the cafeteria with excitement and laughter. Hype team prowled the lunchroom and the hallways with samples and surveys. Team taste test put “Cowboy Caviar” on blast, inviting everyone – including peers they didn’t know to try the item.

A total of 441 students tasted the item and filled out a survey!! The results are in: 68% said they liked the item, 26% kind of liked it, and 6% disliked it.

Based on their reflections, Global Leadership students felt that they exhibited the following leadership skills: confidence, taking initiative, respect, talking to people they don’t know, working as a team, voicing their ideas, and being role models. All of them felt that the district should listen to students and that student opinions need to be heard!
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