Shoug Shack serves up fresh meals, hands-on learning at Washougal High School

CTE Culinary Arts Instructor Alexandra Yost (left), Drake Leifsen (middle) and Jackson Lockard (right) prepare the kabobs. Photo courtesy Washougal School District

This milestone represents an innovative way for high school students to explore career options and gain job-readiness skills

On Feb. 16, students at Washougal High School served up their first meals out of the Shoug Shack, the high school’s new student-run food truck. The school parking lot transformed into an active mobile learning lab for the first time since the food truck’s official ribbon cutting last school year. This milestone represents an innovative way for high school students to explore career options and gain job-readiness skills.

Beef kabobs, vegetable kabobs and seasoned rice with apples and milk. Photo courtesy Washougal School District

The Shoug Shack is a student-run project, from conceptualization of the food truck to menu development, meal preparation, customer service, and more. The experience equips students with experience in entrepreneurship and culinary arts. Career & Technical Education (CTE) classes like culinary arts combine academic, employability, leadership, and technical skills that help students achieve success in education and life. “I’m learning a lot about business and how much effort and planning goes into running a small business,” said Drake Leifsen, student in Advanced Culinary Arts at Washougal High School.

Jackson Lockard ( left) and Baylee Wallway (right) serve meals out of the food truck window. Photo courtesy Washougal School District

Culinary students at the high school prepared and served a menu of beef kabobs, vegetable kabobs and seasoned rice with apples and milk for the food truck’s inaugural lunch. The culinary arts department at Washougal High School plans to serve meals out of the food truck once a month this school year. “The food tasted really good,” said Dexter Baca, Washougal High School student. “I’m looking forward to them doing this more often.”

Joseph Yantis serves fresh food out of the Shoug Shack food truck. Photo courtesy Washougal School District

About CTE Programs at Washougal High School

Last year, Washougal High School students earned 827 job readiness certifications in CTE classes. “CTE programs prepare students with tangible skills directly relevant to current industry standards,” said Margaret Rice, Director of Career & Technical Education at Washougal School District. “Job readiness certifications provide students with a competitive edge in today’s workforce.”

Xavier Pineda-Gutierrez (left) and Drake Leifsen (right) prepare the kabobs. Photo courtesy Washougal School District

CTE programs in Washougal schools provided more than 1,850 student work-based learning experiences last year. These included service learning projects, industry experts as guest speakers, and industry tours, which help students explore career pathways as they prepare to enter the workforce. In 2023, Washougal High School had an 89% on-time graduation rate, the highest on record at the school.

Despite budgetary constraints, the district has been able to maintain important job readiness programs like the food truck project by leveraging state CTE funding, grants, and community partnerships. Organizations like Workforce SW provide funds that let the district provide excellent, innovative programs that build the skills students need to succeed in local jobs. Washougal School District is able to offer these high quality job-readiness programs thanks to strong local community support and targeted funding sources.

Information provided by the Washougal School District.