Recently, students in Miss Livingston’s developmental skills classroom at Victoria Terrace Public School were excited to welcome a special guest.
Noah Timpano, store manager of Domino’s Pizza in Guelph and Fergus came to visit, bringing with him all the ingredients to make a pizza.
“This is a great sensory project,” said Livingston, who teaches a class of nine students ranging from Grade 1 to 5, with varying developmental needs.
“It gives the students the chance to get dirty. Hands-on is where real learning takes place for most kids, so they make that connection by doing it.”
The visit was Timpano’s second this year. He said it was inspired by a school field trip he went on in his childhood.
“I’m very happy to give a new generation of students an experience like this,” said Timpano.
Walking the children through the process, Timpano begins with a lesson on washing hands and preparing the surfaces to lay out the dough, and then he helps the students prepare a small pizza one step at a time.
The children were encouraged to participate at their own pace and ability.
Timpano said his desire to work with the students comes from watching how much they enjoy the process. But he appreciates working in an organization that promotes these kinds of opportunities.
“It’s a reason I’m proud to be part of Domino’s, because franchisees have the desire to do community outreach, not because it is a corporate mandate but because it is what they do,” Timpano said.
Livingston said she appreciates that Timpano is willing to give back to his community, especially with students who benefit from projects like his.
“It’s a hands-on learning experience for the students learning about real life things, learning about the community and different jobs in the community,” said Livingston.
The smiles on the faces in the classroom and the cheese scattered on the floor suggested a good time was had by all.
