When Mar Quie Sears and Julyan Clara tried to explain a cookbook project they had worked on for the Memphis City Schools Fall 2009 Exhibition of Student Work, they were brief and to the point.

Allison Murphy, a first-grade teacher at Raleigh Egypt Elementary, reads a book to her students during the judging of Memphis City Schools Fall 2009 Exhibition of Student Work. (Photos by Wiley Henry)

Mar Quie Sears (left) and Julyan Clara explain what they’ve learned about Mexican food in their cookbook.

“We read books about Mexico and we cooked food. And then we made a cookbook,” said Mar Quie, a first-grader at Raleigh Egypt Elementary.

“We cooked corn bread and made a piñata,” added Julyan, who speaks Spanish and English, and whose parents are from Mexico.  

The first-graders tapped into their creative side for a cooking project that their teacher, Allison Murphy, thought would give them a unique perspective and cross-cultural experience.

According to MCS, the student exhibition is a unique opportunity for students in the district to showcase their talents and abilities, which was on display in various forms in the district’s nearly 200 schools.

 Murphy’s first-graders thought it would be fun and educational to learn how other ethnic groups cook their food. There are 10 Spanish-speaking students in Murphy’s classroom, and they didn’t seem to mind sharing the secrets of Mexican food with their African-American classmates.

Murphy said the parents of her Spanish-speaking students helped them at home with their recipes – the same as her African-American students.

They learned a lot about each other’s culture and cooking habits, said Murphy. “They learned how to make Mexican cornbread and compared it to bread made in America.”

The students at Raleigh Egypt Elementary displayed their work in the hallway for jurors to judge. Participating jurors scored on Creativity, Analytical and Practicality.

 “We learned a lot,” said Mar Quie.