Penn Manor townlively.com
DECEMBER 27, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LX • NO 35
Manor FFA achieves success at national convention BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
Meal, Ready-to-Eat … and enjoy, too BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
D
uring the Revolutionary War, the United States’ military created its first ration for soldiers in the field. The meal consisted of primarily beef, peas and rice, and it was portioned to feed a man for one day. As the armed forces evolved over the centuries, soldiers’ food
was improved alongside their weapons; the military traded muskets for machine guns and peas for MREs. Although the modern militar y ration was designed without taste in mind, food science teacher Tiffany Zook issued a challenge to Penn Manor High School students to turn an MRE into a tasty feast. The MRE, which stands for
Meal, Ready-to-Eat, was developed by the Department of Defense in the ‘60s using modern culinary resources. The government’s goal was to manufacture a lightweight replacement for the canned ration that was used at the time. The end product was a nutritionally augmented pack that could withstand parachute drops and harsh conditions.
In October, Zook invited Sgt. Dustin Jeardoe and 2023 Penn Manor graduate Pvt. Kaylee Godshall of the United States Marine Corps to give her class a presentation on the MRE and its history. The students received multiple boxes of MREs to taste test as they brainstormed ways to make the meal more appetizing. Zook divided her class into five See MRE Challenge pg 5
See Manor FFA pg 3
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Penn Manor High School students were challenged to use military rations and a limited number of additional ingredients to make a delicious meal.
In November, members of Manor FFA traveled to Indianapolis for the FFA National Convention and Expo to compete with students from across the country. From Nov. 1 to 4, three teams of Penn Manor students were tested on their knowledge of the agricultural industry through various activities and challenges, coming away from the annual competition with gold and silver medals. The poultry evaluation team comprised Rachel Sensenich, Emily Railing, Jenna Railing and Ava Crill. The students individually completed a set of multiple-choice questions on industry techniques, as well as a team challenge that included a written test. The team’s members also participated in activities at multiple stations such as grading chicken carcasses and ranking live chicken classes. While grading the carcasses, the poultry evaluators methodically checked for exposed f lesh, missing meat and the state of the bird’s bones to produce a grade for each one. As the