The 2024 Pendleton Round-Up is just a memory for most people, but for the culinary students at Pendleton High School, they are carrying their experience into the school year. Every year for the past eight years, students from PHS foods classes volunteer in the 1910 Room, an exclusive venue at the Round-Up Grounds that serves gourmet meals to patrons who pay $300 or more a day.

Kaden Clark, PHS Foods Teacher, explains how it works. The Round-Up Association hires a chef for the 1910 Room; for the first six years, outside chefs were hired, but last year and this year, Clark was the chef hired under a private contract. In addition, PHS students volunteer for the Round-Up in the 1910 Room under Clark’s direction. All of the food preparation is done in the kitchen at P-TECH and the food is served out of the PHS food truck at the grounds. For the use of the kitchen and the food truck, the Round-Up Association makes a $5,000 donation to the PHS foods program.

This year, 38 PHS students volunteered. For four days in a row, Wednesday through Saturday, Clark and his students serve a five-course meal during the rodeo to about 165 to 185 people each day in the 1910 Room. And it’s a lot of work. Clark starts Sunday of Round-Up week, working every day from about 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM through Saturday night. The concept is to offer a dining experience you can’t get anywhere else in Pendleton.

“It’s a really cool experience for the students because they don’t really have many opportunities to see the fine dining aspect,” Clark said.

Clark’s favorite part is the menu creation process because he loves cooking from scratch and creating dishes that are his own. The students rolled over 1200 egg rolls this year for one of the appetizers, which Clark said was a good experience for doing bulk prep, which students don’t get in the high school classroom setting. Clark said he enjoys seeing the kids get excited about what they are creating, like making beignets from scratch or getting to cook scallops, a food many are not familiar with. “It’s really fun to give them an experience they’re not going to have anywhere else, to give them a different outlook on food and to really see into the food industry and different opportunities they could have in it.”

What’s it like to serve in the 1910 Room? Students, attired in black pants and black chef coats, learn the proper way to serve and clear dishes, how to approach customers, how to be respectful, and more. Clark said the PHS students do a great job, and every single day, he gets compliments about the job they have done. Clark said although the students are exhausted at the end of each day, they really enjoy the work. He also points out that even if students don’t want to work in the food industry, having employable skills like showing up on time and completing daily tasks is something that will benefit them in any kind of job they have in the future.

An article from the East Oregonian regarding cell phones at Pendleton High School starting August 27, 2024.

Pendleton High cellphones to be ‘Bell to bell, no cell’

The Pendleton High School (PHS) Art Department was recently awarded a Wildhorse Foundation Grant in the amount of $5,500 to purchase display equipment for the Pendleton School District Art Show and other future art exhibits. With the grant, PHS was able to purchase 18 lightweight display panels and three collapsible display cases. All of the display equipment was recently used in the PSD Art Show at the Convention Center in early April.

Abbey Prevot, Art Teacher at PHS, said, “We are very grateful to the Wildhorse Foundation for this opportunity to purchase transportable display equipment, which has enhanced our ability to exhibit our student artwork. The display equipment really helped showcase artwork at the PSD show.” Prevot went on to say that the new equipment will provide students with opportunities to exhibit their creations in a professional and inspiring manner, enriching the artistic atmosphere of school events.

CTE Spotlight – Kaden Clark, Pendleton High School

Your Name:  Kaden Clark
Your Title:  Hospitality/Tourism & Foods Teacher

School/District:
Pendleton High School/Pendleton School District

What do you teach?
I teach basic culinary skills to advanced culinary practices, the importance of cultural diversity, the basic principles of opening and running a business, and much more within the hospitality and tourism industry. Students leave my class feeling comfortable in a kitchen setting and having a new-found perspective on cultural differences and their positive effect on the world.

What is your school’s CTE focus for the 23-24 school year?
Our focus is to give students the greatest opportunity for work-based learning practices and advancement in their future careers early on. Our CTE staff is working to offer opportunities many students have never had the chance to participate in before. A huge part of this is having such a great community that is constantly willing to support PHS students and their goals to work in CTE-related fields.

How is CTE work in your school making a difference for students?
The two greatest attributes I believe CTE students are benefiting from are work ethic and confidence. Our programs offer opportunities for students to leave the ever-growing mobile world and work hands-on and face-to-face with other people. I see a growing number of my CTE students willing to meet new people, promote our program, and engage with community partners because they are becoming more confident through CTE coursework. Putting students into the CTE environment we have created has increased their work ethic tenfold. It has been an amazing experience to work side by side with these students on some really cool projects this past year, and I cannot wait to see what they are able to achieve in the future.

What is something people may not know about CTE in schools?
We have some of the most dedicated and hardworking individuals leading these programs and the most caring people I have ever worked alongside. We are dedicated to working with community partners to give students greater opportunities. We are always willing to partner with other CTE programs to give students a chance to learn and engage in CTE-related activities/events. A huge part of our success is due to the amazing CTE staff and Administration who care about the future of their students and CTE.