Every year Cornelia Elementary School invites a volunteer educator into its second-grade class. Meet Mary Hedges, yogurt scientist and Edina Public Schools volunteer of the year.
Hedges, a research and development technician at General Mills, has been helping out at Cornelia Elementary since 2011. "I really enjoy it," Hedges says. "I hope I'm telling [the students] about a cool job they could do in the future." Hedges was honored for her ability to connect with the students by making her presentations for second-graders accessible and engaging.
"It's really great to have a female scientist in the room," says Carynn Roehrick, Edina Public Schools community resources and volunteer manager. "[Students] see the same things they're doing in classroom experiments are happening at General Mills."
Hedges is a University of Minnesota graduate who discovered food science
as a career path halfway through college. At home, she enjoys cooking and even indulging in a product of her own making. "I like to eat what I make," Hedges says of General Mills yogurt.
Part of Hedge's skill set is her passion for meeting the needs of others. "I enjoy making stuff for people that brings joy into their lives," Hedges says about her career. "Just knowing that we are supplying a product and helping people is meaningful."
Hedges helps out during the second grade's chemical engineering unit, where she brings a real career perspective. "The students are excited to have someone in their classroom, and it's exciting to see photos of real-life examples," says Roehrick. "It takes learning to a higher degree."
This invaluable connection from classroom to career is exactly what Roehrick is looking for in the curriculum resources program. The program is made up of volunteers eager to share their skills with students. There is an entire database of volunteers, adding another layer of community connection throughout the K-12 classrooms. "We have hundreds of people come in at the kindergarten level," says Roehrick. Other interested individuals are invited to become involved, as the program is always open to adding volunteers with specialized skills to share.
For Hedges, working with the students is time well spent. "We talk about generic food science, but I also bring in yogurt science," Hedges says. "I really enjoy their questions; they come from out of the blue. It's how their minds work." The students' spontaneity and perspective offer Hedges a learning opportunity outside of her day-to-day job duties.
In Hedges' line of work, there are always a couple of perks to those days: Access to yogurt and bringing a smile to someone's face.
"One day I put up a picture of Yoplait [yogurt] types and the students started clapping. One even started chanting 'Whips!' " Hedges says. "That reminds me of why I do what I do. It makes people happy." Every year Cornelia Elementary School invites a volunteer educator into its second-grade class. Meet Mary Hedges, yogurt scientist and Edina Public Schools volunteer of the year.
Hedges, a research and development technician at General Mills, has been helping out at Cornelia Elementary since 2011. "I really enjoy it," Hedges says. "I hope I'm telling [the students] about a cool job they could do in the future." Hedges was honored for her ability to connect with the students by making her presentations for second-graders accessible and engaging.
"It's really great to have a female scientist in the room," says Carynn Roehrick, Edina Public Schools community resources and volunteer manager. "[Students] see the same things they're doing in classroom experiments are happening at General Mills."
Hedges is a University of Minnesota graduate who discovered food science as a career path halfway through college. At home, she enjoys cooking and even indulging in a product of her own making. "I like to eat what I make," Hedges says of General Mills yogurt.
Part of Hedge's skill set is her passion for meeting the needs of others. "I enjoy making stuff for people that brings joy into their lives," Hedges says about her career. "Just knowing that we are supplying a product and helping people is meaningful."
Hedges helps out during the second grade's chemical engineering unit, where she brings a real career perspective. "The students are excited to have someone in their classroom, and it's exciting to see photos of real-life examples," says Roehrick. "It takes learning to a higher degree."
This invaluable connection from classroom to career is exactly what Roehrick is looking for in the curriculum resources program. The program is made up of volunteers eager to share their skills with students. There is an entire database of volunteers, adding another layer of community connection throughout the K-12 classrooms. "We have hundreds of people come in at the kindergarten level," says Roehrick. Other interested individuals are invited to become involved, as the program is always open to adding volunteers with specialized skills to share.
For Hedges, working with the students is time well spent. "We talk about generic food science, but I also bring in yogurt science," Hedges says. "I really enjoy their questions; they come from out of the blue. It's how their minds work." The students' spontaneity and perspective offer Hedges a learning opportunity outside of her day-to-day job duties.
In Hedges' line of work, there are always a couple of perks to those days: Access to yogurt and bringing a smile to someone's face.
"One day I put up a picture of Yoplait [yogurt] types and the students started clapping. One even started chanting 'Whips!' " Hedges says. "That reminds me of why I do what I do. It makes people happy."
