The Life of a Loaf: Grade 6’s Journey From Kitchen to Community

Grade 6 students put their usual school activities aside and worked closely with Mrs. Chang, Mrs. Sullivan, and Mr. Wallace to craft their own handmade loaves of bread. Students worked meticulously with the scientific aspects of the project as they made the dough, then kneaded, shaped, and baked. When the loaves were ready, Chef Wood helped to slice the bread, and students were able to put their own culinary skills to the test and compare and contrast their loaves with their peers, with everyone eventually bringing some home to share with family. 

 

The excitement was palpable throughout this entire process, and this hands-on learning experience was only the first of three opportunities for Shore students to explore the life of a loaf of bread — from making bread to learning from alumni and gaining an understanding of business operations, to working in service for their community.

 

Shore is honored to have strong ties with alumni and former faculty, and that strength was on display as students transitioned into the field trip phase of the experience, with two stops built into a jam-packed day. Shore’s Grade 6 class was welcomed to the famous Piantedosi Baking Company in Malden by alums Arthur Piantedosi ’08 and Carmine Piantedosi ’10, whose great-grandfather founded the company in 1916. The alumni and the rest of the Piantedosi staff welcomed students and accompanying faculty and staff with open arms, and Shore students had the rare opportunity to tour the factory and ask questions about the process directly to employees. The students were captivated by the grandeur and complexity of the facility and what their hosts shared about its inner workings.

 

Hearing about the students’ earlier bread baking experience, Arthur shared, “To know the science and the art of baking bread, and how to balance the two, is a really valuable skill for bakeries like us.” Carmine gave advice to the students based on his professional experiences, saying, “Learning how to interact with people and come to an agreement, finding out how to help each other so that everyone benefits, is very important, and Shore does a great job of teaching this. Teamwork will be a big part of what you’ll do one day, no matter what you do. Keep an open mind when you get out into the world—there are so many different things that you can do!”  

 

From there, students had the opportunity to join longtime past Shore faculty member, Kent Vienot, at a nearby Malden organization called Bread of Life. Bread of Life provides 1.3 million pounds of free food a year for economically struggling residents of the North metro Boston area through multiple programs including a food mart, food distribution sites, grocery delivery to elderly and disabled residents, public school nutrition backpacks, and serving family meals to homeless, hungry, and food insecure residents. Bread of Life also provides food for a few motels in the area that house immigrants or families who do not have housing. In his role at Bread of Life, Vienot facilitates volunteer groups like Shore’s sixth graders, assists in managing the delivery program, and delivers grocery boxes to the community.

 

Vienot explained how Bread of Life operates, and after students gained an understanding of the context for their efforts, they stepped into the warehouse ready to embody their roles as volunteers, using strong teamwork skills to compile bags and boxes of food and supplies. It felt especially meaningful to place bread bags donated by Piantedosi into the waiting boxes at Bread of Life, and then load the finished boxes into the delivery truck that Vienot was ready to distribute to local community members in need. 

 

Seeing this all come together — from bread making, to touring a professional bakery and learning about its operations, to volunteering in the community — was not only a wonderful experience for our students, but also a testament to the hard work of our Grade 6 team and our strong and committed lifelong network of alumni and former faculty. And at Bread of Life, the impact of Shore’s multi-faceted service learning program was on display as students asked thought-provoking questions and enthusiastically played their part in making our community a better place for all.