A spark of an idea from the Science Department quickly turned into a campuswide community effort to bring chemistry to the kitchen.
Students enrolled in chemistry at St. John’s are accustomed to a typical science classroom dynamic. They spend some periods in desk chairs, exploring new concepts and solving chemical equations, while other sessions are spent in the lab, putting those theories into practice and watching science come to life. But no matter the lesson and the demonstrations that come with it, it can be difficult for students to see the relevance of why they are learning it in the first place. Chemistry teacher Alex Demokritou ’15 is no stranger to the classic question from students: “When am I going to use this?”
“Science Department Chair Gary Smith P’12 and I were talking about how we could provide context for students around the work that we’re doing in class,” says Demokritou. “When working with numbers and manipulating what those numbers are measured in, the obvious answer for me became baking.”
That spark of an idea from the Science Department quickly turned into a campuswide community effort to bring chemistry to the kitchen. After pitching the lesson to Principal/Associate Head of School Dr. Keith Crowley, Demokritou was directed to Assistant Head of School for Operations Chris Cunningham ’02 P’32, who put him in touch with Benjamin Shute, the general manager of SAGE Dining Services at St. John’s.
“SAGE was super enthusiastic about building community with the students by helping them see the other side of where their lunches are prepared and meeting them in a more familiar way,” explains Demokritou. “It spread into this larger community project, which was really powerful in its own way.”
Over the course of a week, five different sections of chemistry classes donned their hair nets and gloves and went to work making apple-cinnamon bread with a recipe specifically curated for them by SAGE. Collaborating to manipulate units and make numeric conversions, students, without even realizing it, honed in on the crucial concept of numeracy.
“I want them to have an appreciation when they’re given a number with units,” says Demokritou. “Can they conceptualize what that means in the real world? Can they see the recipe calls for a kilogram of flour, and picture how much that really is? I think an activity like this, as well as labs in general, are a unique opportunity to build that connection and are important for what we do in chemistry.”
Translating numbers and deriving their meaning makes chemistry seem as much as a language as it is a science. For students, the deviation from the typical classroom environment can make the lesson “stick” even more.
“It was an extremely fun experience that I never thought I would’ve gotten in school,” says Aidan Barker ’28. “I enjoyed learning about the measurements, contributing to the process, and cheering on my friends as they scooped flour into the mixing bowl.”
Whether it’s scooping flour, cracking eggs, measuring oil, or participating in one of the other methods of baking to make a delicious creation, one thing is clear: Chemistry is certainly relevant outside of the classroom.
Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe (Chemistry Class Version)
Ingredients
- 1.56 kg of All-Purpose Flour
- 16 g of Ground Cinnamon
- 19 g of Baking Soda
- 10 g of Baking Powder
- 13 g of Salt
- 1.47 kg of Granulated Sugar
- 493 mL of Vegetable Oil
- 10 1/2 Shell Eggs
- 113 mL of Pure Vanilla Extract
- 945 g Granny Smith Apples
- Pan Spray
Methods
1 . Chop and peel apples.
2. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Coat loaf pan with pan spray and line with parchment paper.
3. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients; stir in apples and mix well. Pour in to a prepared pan.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from the pan. Cut into 24 slices.
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