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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

It was a busy day in the kitchen for Family and Consumer Science students at Clanton Middle School on Feb. 11.

Both of the eighth-grade classes were getting hands-on experience while creating a special treat for some furry friends at the Humane Society of Chilton County.

“The students plan each semester what service projects that they want to do, so this is a way that we can get in the kitchen and practice our skills and then serve the community, too,” teacher Nicole Minshew said.

Community projects are often chosen during Family, Career and Community Leaders of America meetings.

“FCCLA is all about being student led,” Minshew said. “They … decided at the beginning who they wanted to serve and that was just someone that they wanted to help. They like to help animals, and they like to make food.”

Students were divided into groups with specific roles. Some were cooking, while others focused on clean up.

Student Eli Kendrick said he enjoyed having the opportunity to participate in a new community project.

Students used a recipe provided by Minshew, which they had reviewed previously in class.

One challenging aspect of actually making the dog biscuits was getting the correct consistency for the dough, Eli said.

Mixing and incorporating all of the ingredients also proved challenging, student Brayland Higginbotham said.

Brayland served as a team leader for one of the groups.

“I have the most experience in my group, so I actually enjoy teaching others,” Brayland said.

He said the project helps the Humane Society save money and provide the dogs at the shelter with a nutritious treat.

Students also had to learn to work together to get the biscuits in the oven.

Student Cohen Ellison said he enjoyed “working with my group and getting to know more people.”

He said the team aspect of the project was also be a challenge because it was something new for many of the students.

Each class made several dozen of the dog biscuits.

Minshew said this was the second time a group has done this community service project this year.