[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yGIzYWt0Y8]

Students of Warsaw Community High School and Gateway Education came together to plan, prepare and serve a meal at the Community Kitchen located at the United Methodist Church in downtown Warsaw.

The meal, which consisted of an entree, dessert and beverage, was prepared in order to teach students of Gateway Education valuable job skills they may be able to utilize in the future as well as demonstrating the value of enriching the lives of others and those in the community.

Both groups consisted of roughly 12 students, however, Gateway did have absent students who had helped with meal preparations prior to the date of the lunch.

Gateway Education focuses on assisting special needs students in obtaining skills to further their lives. The program offers peer tutors from Warsaw Community High School, instructors and job coaches who help students learn basic job skills for their futures.

“The students that are in my program are identified as students with special needs,” said Jennifer Phillips, an instructor with Gateway Education who helped plan the event. “This is a great endeavor and they are so excited to complete this project in the hopes of enriching the lives of others.”

While the students did gain new skills and knowledge of preparing and serving food, both teachers and students alike claimed the ability to help the community and enrich others’ lives was the true achievement of the experience.

Troy Akers, principal of Warsaw Community High School and Dave Bailey, a teacher of Warsaw Community High School’s Graduation Coaching Program, both expressed their pride in the school living by its mission statement of “inspiring and equipping all students to continuously acquire and apply knowledge and skills while pursuing their dreams and enriching the lives of others.”

Bailey’s Graduation Coaching Program had 12 student volunteers assist with the lunch.

“One of the reasons we are here is to inspire and help others and really focus on reaching out for service. That is something I’m kind of passionate about,” said Bailey. “Our students have really enjoyed it and they’ve gotten a lot out of it, and we are proud of them … they get more out of it than the ones they help.”