Boys and girls in one Niles Middle School class are learning more than reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Students in Mary Wike’s class recently tried their hand at canning food, according to the school district's Facebook page.

Under the watchful eye of Ms. Wike, students worked together to can homemade salsa and homemade strawberry jam using the water bath canning method.

Students chopped up veggies, blanched tomatoes, cooked salsa on the stove, mashed strawberries, and used measuring tools.

Wike says the lesson was a great way to teach students about preserving food, healthy eating, and saving money if the process is done correctly.

As a bonus, each student took home a jar of salsa as a reward for their hard work.

Mary Wike has been an intervention specialist since 2018.