PRHS Art and Culinary classes came together before Spring Break this year to decorate eggs in the Ukrainian art form called Pysanky, both using what they’ve learned as art and culinary students. 

Art students drew on the eggs to plan their desired design, whereas culinary students used this activity as an opportunity to learn table-scaping and how to stage a table for service. All doing different designs, hand drawn or done by hot glue, they used many methods of dyeing their eggs. Students used both the traditional method of soaking eggs in the dye and then a different method where the eggs were placed in dyed whipped cream.

This activity was a collaboration between two vastly different skills, while both art and culinary students enjoyed many of the same aspects. When asked what their favorite part of decorating eggs was, Art student Jada McDougald answered “sketching out the design first” and Culinary student Celina Breneman answered, having “creative freedom.”

As the classes collaborated, the students were able to experience working in different subjects and skill sets. 

Culinary teacher Chef Templeton said her favorite part of decorating eggs was “the mystery of what they’ll look like when they’re finished.” Art teacher Nicole Crowley answered, “collaborating,” as she also noted that this was their first time doing an activity like this, making it a learning experience for all. 

When asked why activities such as egg decorating are important to Porter Ridge students, Crowley and Templeton answered that it encourages collaboration and expansion, but it is also a way to honor Ukrainian heritage in their time of crisis. 

Both teachers look forward to more collaborations for their classes in the future.

Written by Marissa Cukro-11th grade student