Sixth-grader cooks up fundraiser

A sixth-grader at Carson Valley Middle School is taking the initiative to help remodel the 50-year-old kitchen in the home economics class.

Brogan Lackey walked into home economics at the beginning of the school year, excited to learn how to make food, but soon realized how outdated and used the equipment was.

“It was really hard to run an effective program with all the old equipment and having to share it with 30 students,” he said.

Home economics class teaches students about food from the ingredients and scientific aspects to handling, prepping, cooking and enjoying.

The class’s teacher, Lucas Whitmore, said he has about 170 kids taking his class daily.

“You can imagine how much we use and how much this would cost to sustainably fund,” he said. “In class, one day we were talking about different ways we as a class could raise extra funds and ways to upgrade some of the equipment.”

That’s when Brogan decided he wanted to help, so he set up a GoFundMe account.

“It makes me feel really good for future students,” he said. “I’ve had some students thank me for my hard work.”

Whitmore said he was taken back by Brogan wanting to step up and what he has already raised.

“It’s hard to do on your own as a teacher, so it’s really heartfelt when a student steps up and does this,” he said. “I have a lot of gratitude for what Brogan is doing.”

According to his GoFundMe account, out of his $2,500 goal Brogan has raised $450.

“We’ve had parents contribute, some kids donated some cash, it’s small amounts, but that all adds up and helps,” said Whitmore.

Whitmore said the program has also received some grants and the Douglas County School District recently replaced four stoves.

“We are really grateful for that,” said Whitmore. “We plan to use what Brogan has raised to buy some of our wish-list items and replace things like plates, cooking sheets and the smaller things like that to make it easier for students to cook and bake without waiting around for someone to finish using the mixer. We want to provide enough equipment for each station, so things are more efficient.”

Brogan’s GoFundMe is http://gofund.me/05409a8f The class wish list can be found on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3EHYBRLHSJHAG?ref_=wl_share

“It makes me feel good and excited to be helping,” said Brogan. “If we take care of the equipment, replace what’s outdated, it will all last longer and we can continue to have fun and make things.”