John Pittard Elementary ‘Junior Chef Academy’ featured in ‘Adventures in Murphry’s Burrow’

Cooking opens a world beyond our immediate environment to explore how other cultures enjoy different styles of cuisine. In the May 2017 episode of “Adventures in Murphry’s Burrow,” Murph learns about fun foods from the students of Junior Chef Academy at John Pittard Elementary School.

The May 2017 episode of “Adventures in Murphry’s Burrow” is available for viewing on YouTube at https://youtu.be/pXCVHCU37Yg.

This month’s episode also takes viewers on a trip to “Adventures in Agriculture” at the Lane Agri-Park Community Center located at 315 John Rice Boulevard, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37129. The Community Center is home to many activities of the Rutherford County Agricultural Extension service.

The May episode of “Adventures in Murphry’s Burrow” features:

• Students in the Junior Chef Academy make “Apple Chicken Pita with Cous Cous”. Cous Cous, also spelled Kos Kos, is a North African Berber dish of small steamed semolina.  Cous Cous literally means “food” and is a staple in North Africa and Morocco.
• Chef Jack Sawyer explains the Junior Chef Academy program at John Pittard Elementary.  Fourth through Sixth grade students apply for the Academy by writing an essay explaining why they want to participate in the program.  A panel selects the students who prepare a food dish for judges at the end of their six-week training.
• John Batey, Batey Farms, and MTSU students in the Agri-Business and Horse Science programs explain the importance of “agriculture” and introduce Murph to how a variety of food crops are grown. The students also show viewers a 7-week old Jersey calf named “Daisy” that will one-day weigh 1,000 pounds.
• Rabbit farmers Mark and Kimberly Ferguson show Murph a 9-week old New Zealand rabbit.
• Also, make a Patriotic Flag Star decoration with white poster board, red and blue paint, pencil, ruler, scissors, and gold and silver stickers to celebrate Memorial Day, Flag Day and Independence Day.

Murph is an inquisitive rabbit who visits unique and interesting people and places in Murfreesboro and interviews guests that visit his burrow. When you’re with Murph in the Burrow, its one big adventure after another.

You can also watch “Adventures in Murphry’s Burrow” anytime online on the City’s website at www.murfreesborotn.gov/murph or watch CityTV (AT&T Uverse Channel 99/Comcast Xfinity in Murfreesboro on Channel 3 and Roku) Sun., Mon., Wed., Sat. at 9:00 a.m.; Monday – Friday at 3:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Past episodes can be viewed at our You Tube channel at www.youtube.com/cityofmurfreesboro.

“Adventures in Murphry’s Burrow” is created by producer-writer Nancy Phillips. The program is directed and edited by CityTV’s John Padgett in the City of Murfreesboro Communications Department.

In February, John Pittard Elementary was selected along with the Discovery School as a Silver Level RTI-B Model of Demonstration School by the Tennessee Behavior Supports Project (TBSP) at Vanderbilt University.  Of 1,800 schools across Tennessee, only 25 schools are Model of Demonstration Schools.