The first floor has a new face in the hallways. Mr. Grant Condon joined at the start of the fourth quarter and is teaching Principles of Culinary and Culinary Arts.
Before coming to NAHS, Condon spent nearly three years at Silver Creek Middle School teaching eighth grade math.
“The school environment was definitely a lot different,” Condon said. “There was a lot of structure, especially around things like phone use and parent involvement. But no matter where you go, you still face the same kinds of student needs, some kids need extra help, and others just aren’t motivated.”
So why did he make the decision to switch from numbers to knives?
“There’s just so much more freedom in culinary,” said Condon. “You can take one word, like salt, and go in a million different directions with it. In math, you move on quickly. In culinary, you can stay, explore and taste. And you can eat what you teach, you can’t really do that in math.”
While Mr. Condon doesn’t come from a professional cooking background, he’s very familiar with the kitchen.
“I do a lot of meal prepping on Sundays, quinoa, rice, meats, veggies, so I don’t have to cook from scratch every night. I try to cook healthy, and that’s something I want to bring into the class too,” Condon said.
He plans to follow the outlines Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Stewart have provided him with for the rest of this school year, but he’s hoping to bring a new sense of wonder to his classes next year as well as set some expectations and boundaries.
Even though he’s only been here for two weeks, Condon has already began forming strong friendships with students and staff like Athletic Director Mr. Shawn Garmon and Ms. Lindsey Allen.
“The most rewarding part of teaching is the connections. Even after a few days, I had students fist-bumping me in the hallway. I’ve even seen former students from Parkview who came up to hug me. That tells me the relationship part is what’s worth it,” said Condon.
For Condon, culinary class is about more than food, it’s about preparing students for life.
“Responsibility and accountability, that’s what I want students to walk away with. You get what you earn. If you sit on your phone all day and don’t do the work, you’re going to see that reflected in your grade. That’s how the real world works,” Condon said.