Alerts Sign-up
In anticipation of Thanksgiving, first grade students at Coal City Early Childhood Center shared their own turkey recipes. The tradition began with former teacher Ann Quinzio-Zafran and has continued under teacher Tiffany Stewart.
Each recipe was written by the students themselves, with some guidance from their teacher. The school notes that these recipes have not been tested in a kitchen.
Students offered various approaches to preparing a turkey, often suggesting to thaw, open, rinse, and season it before cooking. Cooking times and temperatures varied widely in the submissions. Some students recommended cooking turkeys at low temperatures for long periods, while others suggested high heat for shorter durations. Many included suggestions for side dishes such as mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits, or stuffing. Desserts like pumpkin pie, cake, cookies, and ice cream were also mentioned.
The Coal City Community Unit School District 1 includes several schools in Grundy and Will counties: Coal City Early Childhood Center, Coal City Elementary School, Coal City High School, Coal City Intermediate School, and Coal City Middle School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). According to the Illinois State Board of Education, the district employs 153 teachers with an average salary of $69,297. Most teachers are women (77.9 percent), and there are no teachers with more than 10 absences in a school year (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
The student population is primarily White (86.9 percent), with Hispanic students making up 9.6 percent; Black and Asian students each account for 0.6 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In 2020, the district spent $21,619 per student for a total expenditure of $47 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
Teacher Tiffany Stewart continues this annual project to encourage creativity and writing skills among her first grade class.
