More than 25 high school students converged on the kitchens of Anne Arundel Community College’s Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Tourism Institute March 4 for the fourth annual HCAT Cookoff.

The college partners with Anne Arundel County Public Schools on a Culinary Arts Tech Prep program that allows high school students to earn free college credits for courses taken in high school.

Students were sorted into nine three-person teams and judged according to proper cooking procedures and final appearance and taste of the pizza each team prepared.

Winning the gold medal was the team at Prep Station 3: Karen Cooksey of Southern High School and Amee Good and Gregg Weinstein of Chesapeake High School. Earning the silver medal was the team at Prep Station 1: William Cary of Arundel High School, Matthew McManamay of Severna Park High School and Morgan Moultrie of Glen Burnie High School. The bronze went to the team at Prep Station 2: Michelle Becraft of Arundel High School, Brandon Nicholas of Glen Burnie High School and Jackie Mearman of Severna Park High School.

The partnership between AACC and the public school system offers many high school Tech Prep programs of study where students can earn free college credit for courses taken in high school.  Rigorous academic coursework and real-world applications better prepare many students for college and post-secondary careers.

For information, call AACC’s Tech Prep office, 410-777-2891 or visit the Web site, www.aacc.edu/techprep.

Important Links

• AACC Homepage
• Contact the PR Coordinator
• HCAT Insititute