Senior Spotlight — Kennard Seniors Shine in the Culinary Classroom
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
KENNARD – The kitchen inside Kennard High School was buzzing long before lunchtime this past Thursday. Baking sheets clattered, students rushed to and fro, and the warm smell of holiday goodness drifted through the air as students hurried to prepare a Thanksgiving lunch for teachers.
For more on the culinary program itself, the teacher Amy Gladden, and the lunch these Tigers cooked for their teachers, see our Thanksgiving edition next Thursday.
Amid the organized chaos stood two seniors in purple aprons, moving with a quiet confidence that set them apart from the freshmen and sophomores rushing around them.
High school seniors Skylar Stevenson and Ryleigh Collins worked side-by-side at a stainless-steel table, spreading homemade cream cheese frosting across neat rows of cupcakes. While younger students bounced between tasks, the two seniors kept a steady rhythm—focused, calm, and clearly in their element.
“This class is the one I look forward to every day,” Ryleigh said, barely glancing up as she smoothed icing in a perfect swirl. “We get to cook, we get to have fun, and Ms. Gladden is really nice. It’s just a great environment.”
Skylar, who has been at Kennard since fifth grade, agreed. “It’s really fun, and I’ve learned so many little things,” she said. “Last year, Ms. Gladden taught us to crumple up parchment paper so it stays on the pan better. I still use that tip all the time.”
Their ease in the kitchen reflects the years they’ve spent growing up in the small, tight-knit Kennard school community. Both students are preparing for graduation and planning their futures, but as they iced cupcakes for 50 hungry teachers, it was clear they weren’t quite ready to let go of the place that shaped them.
For Skylar, senior year has been busy but full of excitement.
“It’s been kind of busy with my online college classes,” she said. “But it keeps me motivated and productive and excited for real college, I guess.”
She’ll be heading to Stephen F. Austin State University next fall, where she plans to major in math and eventually become a math teacher. “I love math,” she said, breaking into a grin. “That’s what I want to do—teach.”
Ryleigh, who has attended Kennard since fourth grade and serves as student council president, said she’s feeling the same mix of excitement and pressure.
“It’s been fun, but really busy,” she said. “It’s a lot to think about—planning next year and figuring out everything you need to do.”
She also plans to attend SFA, but will major in speech pathology and hopes to earn her master’s degree.
Although they’re both ready for the next step, neither is fully prepared to leave the close-knit Kennard community behind.
“I’m going to miss my friends and my teachers,” Skylar said. “Just the environment here.”
Ryleigh echoed the sentiment, laughing as she described life in a small school.
“You grow up knowing that if somebody knows something, everybody knows it. I’m going to miss that. I’m going to miss knowing everybody.”
As seniors, the two found themselves helping the underclassmen during the Thanksgiving lunch prep—a full-scale culinary production that filled the kitchen with noise, movement, and more than a few frayed nerves. Although Gladden explained each grade forms its own unique group, and older kids aren’t always mentors or role models, Skylar and Ryleigh have been able to give plenty of tips along the way.
“I think it’s nice,” Skylar said. “I can think back to when I was younger and seniors were helping me. Now I get to be the one helping them.”
Ryleigh agreed. “It’s fun to see them learn and grow,” she said.
Outside the culinary classroom, both seniors have kept busy. Skylar is involved in student council, Beta Club, and UIL spelling—where she and her team go to state every year.
“That’s my sport,” she joked.
Ryleigh is involved in cheer, student council, and serves as class president.
“I’ve grown up around small schools,” she said. “I really am going to miss this.”
Back in the kitchen, as the cupcakes were carefully placed on display and the last trays of food were popped in the oven, the two seniors stepped back to survey the morning’s work. Teachers would soon sit down to a full Thanksgiving feast—pumpkin cupcakes included—thanks to the efforts of the culinary class and the steady leadership of two seniors who have learned not just how to cook, but how to carry themselves with responsibility, kindness, and grace.
“It’s been busy,” Skylar said, “but I think they’re really going to enjoy it.”
And in that hectic kitchen, with purple aprons stained with elements of the day’s lunch and a good amount of elbow grease — and the smell of Thanksgiving in the air, both young women seemed ready—not just for graduation, but for whatever comes next.
To see the full interview with these two young ladies, please tune in to our weekly podcast “Houston County News” this Sunday morning on our webpage or on our social media pages.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
