
DATE: Friday, April 4, 1997                 TAG: 9704020136

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 06   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: COVER STORY: TEACHER OF THE YEAR 

SOURCE: BY NANCY YOUNG, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   80 lines

CATERING TO STUDENTS WITHOUT A LAB, LINDA LAUMANN LAUNCHED COOKING PROGRAM AT HICKORY HIGH.

LINDA DOBBINS LAUMANN is a first-year teacher who's been teaching for 20 years.

She teaches math and science to their delicious conclusions.

And for all that and more, last month Laumann, a catering teacher at Hickory High School was named Chesapeake's Teacher of the Year.

``I feel like I never stopped going to school,'' said Laumann who began teaching just out of college. ``That's OK with me. I love school.''

Up until this year, Laumann's teaching life had become somewhat predictable. Each year for the last 20, she reported to Indian River High School where she taught occupational child care.

It was a family affair. Laumann's husband, Jerry, teaches government and psychology there. In fact, they met at the school, when he was a football coach and she a cheerleading coach.

Linda and Jerry were preparing to go on a special trip to celebrate their anniversary this past summer when the call came from the district personnel office asking Linda to make the biggest decision of her career. Did she want to make the move to the newly opened Hickory High School and teach catering?

In part, Laumann's depth of experience in teaching occupational childcare, which included having students working directly with pre-schoolers at the school's day-care center, was what gave her the license to try something new.

``It was a well-developed program, and I knew that if I left, it would keep going,'' Laumann said.

The same could not necessarily be said of the catering program at Hickory. Up until a few months ago, the school's catering lab was not even functional.

``For many teachers, the challenge of creating a vocational program in a new school would be enough, but Linda Laumann taught students the principles of catering in a regular classroom with neither running water nor refrigerators and ovens,'' said the district's School Board clerk, Ed Hughes, in a speech introducing Laumann as the Teacher of the Year.

Did Laumann's students suffer with the lack of equipment? Apparently not. Several won awards at a culinary competition. Still others have been awarded scholarships.

The experience may have even helped the students learn the value of flexibility in work situations.

``There's no telling what they're going to walk into,'' Laumann said.

Now that the students have an actual catering lab to walk into, Laumann is seeing to it that they don't lose their flair for improvisation.

``I need an alternative because the white chocolate isn't working,'' a student who was preparing a luncheon for five to eight people said to Laumann. Laumann provided the student with several alternatives and then helped her figure out why the white chocolate didn't work. Too much moisture.

But Laumann also teaches that the best improvisations spring from a well thought out plan. When students prepare their luncheons, which must be of professional quality, they have to fill out a checklist that includes everything from soup to nuts - from deciding who to invite and what to serve, to making up cost analyses to the actual preparation of the meal.

``Wednesday I made the dessert, an elegant, chocolate torte. I baked and gutted my potatoes,'' one student wrote in his luncheon plan for Laumann's perusal.

Then, for good measure, he added that he awaited ``the brand new Chesapeake Teacher of the Year's comments.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff color cover by STEVE EARLEY

Staff photos by MORT FRYMAN

Christina Varveris, left, a student from Switzerland; teacher Linda

Laumann; and student Tyjoa Reid enjoy a photo album of students at

work.

Laumann supervises as Jackie DeCastillia, left, and Reid create a

white sauce under the mirrored island in the Hickory High catering

lab.

In part, Laumann's depth of experience in teaching occupational

childcare at Indian River High, which included having students

working directly with pre-schoolers at the school's day-care center,

was what gave her the license to try something new - teaching

catering at the new Hickory High.