Cooking with the best

Westfield High School’s Nikki Heflin named National Teacher of the Year

By AMY ADAMS
news@readthereporter.com

Chef Nikki Heflin, Westfield High School culinary instructor, recently returned from the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences National Leadership Conference in Minneapolis having been honored as the AAFCS National Teacher of the Year.

Nominated by Indiana AAFCS, Heflin had to go through a rigorous process of submitting a curriculum vitae and body of work for consideration. Sponsored by textbook publisher Goodheart Wilcox, the award comes with a $2,500 stipend.

“Getting an award of this magnitude cannot happen without the support of a great school, first, coworkers, parents, students, and the AAFCS association,” Heflin said. “That support is what builds a strong education. I celebrate the award with everyone who has been with me along the way.”

WHS teacher Nikki Heflin gives a presentation at the AAFCS national conference on how WHS has built a successful secondary Family and Consumer Sciences program. (Photo courtesy Nikki Heflin)

In addition to receiving the award, Heflin gave a presentation on how WHS has built a successful secondary Family and Consumer Sciences program.

Ten years ago, Heflin was the only teacher in the department, and she started by offering two courses. She is quick to share credit with Chef Bryan Ferreira who joined her on staff and helped her develop the culinary program. Going into the fall, the program now consists of five instructors at WHS offering 24 FCS courses, including 11 culinary arts and hospitality courses in a fully-functioning commercial kitchen.

Heflin and other staff members work hard to make sure their students’ educational experiences extend beyond the classroom. Heflin serves as an academic coach and sponsor for Family Career and Community Leaders of America, the ProStart culinary team, and Foodies Rock, which allow students the real-world experience of entering competitions and providing catering services.

“We really want to be able to offer everything that’s out there for the students, from certifications to competitions,” Heflin said.

The program currently offers dual credit classes and allows students to earn professional certifications, such as the ServSafe certificate.

WHS student Tilly Fricker prepares for competition in Baking and Pastry. (Photo courtesy Nikki Heflin)

At the end of June, Heflin will be traveling with 18 students from WHS and Westfield Middle School to compete at the FCCLA National Conference in Seattle.

“FCS is so much more than food, though, more than the culinary program,” Heflin said.

Courses in the FCS program include nutrition, dietetics, and visual design, but they also include instruction in early childhood education and health and human services, such as social work, mental health counseling, and emergency response. Heflin said WHS is currently working toward expanding its visual arts and design pathway to include fashion and textiles in addition to interior design.

“Our programs are more critical than ever in high schools and universities,” Heflin said. “We are continuously hearing on the news and in our communities about the importance of bringing back home economics classes. What many people don’t realize is that ‘Home Ec’ was not disbanded. We pivoted to Family and Consumer Sciences as the content name in the ‘90s because we realized we were not only training students for home life but we were training students to be successful in careers.”

Heflin, who serves as the Indiana AAFCS director of advocacy and public policy, said that an important topic of conversation at the national convention was the fight to have the American Association of Career and Technical Education recognize FCS as a career field, alongside trades in business, mass media, engineering, and construction.

“We’re producing some pretty incredible careers,” Heflin said.

One of many examples discussed at the conference was the necessity of sewing skills to the mission of NASA in making spacesuits, parachutes, thermal blankets, and more.

“These are the kinds of careers we’re talking about when we say we can’t lose these skill sets,” Heflin said.

For Foodies Rock catering information, email whsfoodiesrock@wws.k12.in.us or call (317) 701-4440.

Nearly 20 students from Westfield High School and Westfield Middle School qualified to compete at the FCCLA National Conference in Seattle, Wash., at the end of the June. (Photo courtesy Nikki Heflin)