One of the most highly requested electives taken at high schools across the country is Family and Consumer Science. It is a lot more than baking brownies or taste-testing foods. 

FCS is a course involving a variety of skills involving culinary arts, nutrition, and food science. For the first time in a decade, the class is returning to Dallastown. It will be offered to students in grades 10,11, and 12.

The goal of the course is to get kids work and career-ready in order to make meaningful contributions to our community. However, more importantly, it leads to better lives after students graduate and go off to college.

“When I was hired at Dallastown 20 years ago there were three FCS teachers that taught classes covering child development, foods, interior design, and clothing construction,” shared Mrs. Klinedinst, the current Child Development teacher.

At the time, there were four FCS teachers who all retired and were never replaced. Although it was an expensive class to budget for, there was an overall shift in the county away from teaching the course. It wasn’t stressed as a necessary class as it once was.

“For the last 10 years child development has been the only FCS are taught a Dallastown due to the other positions being cut.,” stated Klinedinst

Family and Consumer Science will be returning as an elective at Dallastown for the 2025-2025 school year. But why?

“We recognized many of our students didn’t have electives that fit their interests,” shared Principal Dr. Wilson.

There has been an increase in students following career pathways that don’t need college. Dallastown offers many electives to support these students except for culinary arts, until the return of FCS.

A former Dallastown student, Miss Lydia Williams, has been hired to teach the course. FCS will be held in room 262, the former life skills classroom.

“There is a lot of wildcat pride from alumni teachers and I knew that coming back to Dallastown I could thrive at making an impact on my students the way my teachers did for me,” said Williams.

There will be a total of nine sections of the course, eight will be taught by Williams, and one will be taught by the current middle school FCS teacher, Shannon Ebersole. 

“Students will be learning culinary arts, traditional cooking skills, and food safety,” said Wilson.

There are also going to be three sections of the new FCS Pathways course. It is a survey course for the different areas of Family and Consumer Science to give students a better understanding of the opportunities for their future. 

Part two of the FCS Pathways class has already been approved for the 2025-2026 school year. This will give the students who took part one of the course, the chance to choose a specific area of study they most enjoyed in the first class to pursue further.

“I’m hoping by taking my courses students will have a better understanding and outlook on all the possible career opportunities and skills PCS provides,” shared Williams.

Many students have requested to have FCS on their schedule next year. Family and Consumer Science is back at Dallastown and here to stay.