Grace Knight started as a BEd student in the Technological Education Multisession (TEMS) program at Queen's University in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now thriving as a culinary teacher in the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program at Kingston Secondary School (KSS), she is creating a holistic learning experience including nutrition, equitability, food preparation techniques, and community-building.
The TEMS program at Queen’s allowed Grace to continue teaching while taking in-person courses on weekends and during the summer. She reflects, “The weekend classes provide a lot of information at once. The best part about these classes was collaborating with my peers on ways to implement what we learned into the classroom!”
As a member of the first TEMS cohort, Grace formed supportive connections with fellow students from various areas of technological education. She appreciated how the program immersed her in learning over the weekend and allowed her to immediately apply new concepts to her teaching when she returned to the classroom on Monday. “You can put what you learned into action right away or at least start thinking about how to incorporate it into your planning.”
Before starting the TEMS program, Grace had worked as a professional chef for 15 years, across Canada. When she transitioned to teaching, she noticed a troubling trend at schools: many students arrived without enough food to get through the day. Grace explains, “I saw a need bigger than I expected and had an overwhelming desire to help.”
After earning her BEd, Grace began teaching food nutrition, and food culture at KSS, while also running the cafeteria two to three days a week. She recalls, “The more time I spent feeding students, the more I understood the need”.
Although the Hospitality team and The Food Share Program at KSS were already supporting students, Grace wanted to do more. She reflects, “My vision was to increase access to affordable food for all students.”
With strong support from Principal Darren Seymour, Grace’s vision has grown into a thriving lunch program. Starting in 2024, one of the culinary classes is now classified as a co-op, where students not only learn cooking skills but also how a food business operates. Grace explains, “Students rotate through different stations of the kitchen as well as learn how to create balanced meals following Canada’s Food Guide.” Grace also collaborates closely with Gareth Alexander, a culinary teacher with 15 years teaching experience, who has as passion for instilling work ethic, loves his craft and enjoys sharing with students.
The program now offers fresh, nutritious meals at slightly below cost. Due to the hard work of Tracy Hargrove, an EA at the school who is responsible for their Food Share Program, KSS was a recipient of a grant from President’s Choice. This supports free hot lunches 2-4 days a week. When meals need to be sold, they typically cost between $2 and $3.
All KSS students benefit from affordable, healthy lunches. For those in need, Grace and her colleagues have partnered with Pathways to Education, which provides lunch cards to students for free hot meals prepared by their fellow students. Student service teachers Tomiko Ferguson and Bonnie Morris-Pocock have been instrumental in supporting the program, with Tomiko securing a grant from The Community Foundation of Kingston and Area to help feed even more students. This commitment and support from across the school means Grace and her team can serve about 200 healthy, affordable meals to their school community a day.
Grace's classroom is grounded in respect, creating an environment where students feel comfortable and motivated. She says, “Building a rapport with students is important to me. I want to know their interests, hobbies and goals. This helps foster a positive classroom environment, creating meaningful connections possibly reduce anxiety, increase student involvement and increase learning”.
But what happens on the weekends if students need food? What happens after school? The class is addressing food insecurity outside of school by making take-home, ready-bake or ready-to-eat meals for students. Grace emphasizes the importance of trust, saying, “If a student needs food, they can just talk to me, student services, or administration—no questions asked.” The entire school community fosters this trust, ensuring students never have to go hungry. Looking ahead, Grace and her colleagues are brainstorming new ways to expand the program, including building outdoor gardens following the traditions of local Indigenous knowledges and cultures, and offering more grab-and-go items and eventually breakfast options.
Students are starting to feel comfortable approaching Grace about food to take home. This level of trust is necessary and is being fostered by the school community. If the class isn’t providing lunch that day and a student needs food, all they have to do is talk to Grace or her colleagues. No questions asked.
And what’s Grace’s favourite part about teaching? “Providing students with essential skills that they can use now and in the future. Helping students find their own motivation to succeed.”
Inspired by Grace’s story? Consider supporting food security in our schools and community by supporting Pathways to Education and The Food Sharing Project.