Students earning food handler’s permits get praise from state

Students+Brianna+Noratuk%2C+Tiana+Chiklak%2C+and+Elizabeth+Green+in+the+food+and+nutrition+class.+Photo+courtesy+Ruth+Ross.

Photo courtesy Ruth Ross

Students Brianna Noratuk, Tiana Chiklak, and Elizabeth Green in the food and nutrition class.

By TIRZAH BRYANT and KALA HENDRICKSON, staff writers

Ten students in the Nutrition and Food Preparation class taught by teacher Ruth Ross have received their food handler’s cards and praise from state officials who delivered the news to the class teacher.

“Tell your students GREAT JOB!” wrote Laura Nielson from the Food Safety and Sanitation Program for the state of Alaska in an email to Ms. Ross. “As a whole, your students got the best grades of any class I have graded in a long time.”

The students have been studying and going through the food worker’s handbook in preparation for this test, as well as learning the vocabulary words and information about the test, temperatures, and safety procedures. The state requires that at least one person in a restaurant or market, where there is unwrapped food or food preparation, to have a food handler’s permit. This permit tells the public, and inspectors, that the holder has had training in basic procedures that prevent the spread of food borne illnesses, according to the Culinary One website.

“This class if full of bright capable students and are a joy to teach,” wrote Ms. Ross in her email about the students earning the permits.

There are ten students receiving their food handler’s permits are:
Rayanne Alick, a sophomore from Pilot Station.
Katelyn Aloysius, a sophomore from Galena.
Tiana Chiklak, a freshman from Dillingham.
Vivian Condello, a sophomore from Hooper Bay.
Elizabeth Green, sophomore from Galena.
Makayla Lupie, a sophomore from Goodnews Bay.
Brianna Noratuk, a junior from Tuntutuliak.
Adrian Scott, a sophomore from Kotzebue.
Jayden Tinker, a freshman from Russian Mission.
Stephanie Williams, a freshman from Ruby.
All ten of these students successfully passed their food handler’s test.

Ms. Ross couldn’t be reached personally for this story by the deadline because she was in Huslia for the junior high basketball tournament.