Alton High School Job Program Serves Up Fish Fry for Community Partners

ALTON - Alton High School students hosted a fish fry to thank administrators and community members for their work.

On Friday, March 27, 2026, students in the cooperative work training program served meals to teachers, administrators, hospital workers, first responders, partner companies and more. Joe Michalski, the teacher who oversees the program, explained that this community service element is an important part of their work.

“It’s a thank-you to the community,” he said. “I get paid to do things like this. You can’t beat it.”

Michalski brought three fryers from home and worked with his students to prepare, fry and serve the fish alongside teachers Tammy Wood and Josh Adams.

Michalski believes that the fish fry, while fun for the students, was also a “morale boost” for teachers and community members in attendance. The food was completely free for all to enjoy as part of a community service project for students in the cooperative work training program.

At Alton High School, this program allows students over age 16 to get a job in the community and learn more about job skills, taxes, and “anything career-related,” Michalski said. The goal is to guide the students through their first job and help them figure out their next steps, whether that’s college, trade school or the workforce.

The program has also started completing more community service projects, including volunteering with the Alton Boys and Girls Club or offering Autism Sports Day at a local elementary school every spring. Michalski believes the community service element is an important part of their work.

“We just do a lot of community service projects in the community, and it snowballed into an incredibly cool opportunity for us and the students,” he said. “The premise behind the program is to provide students with a better understanding of what they want to do after they graduate and to put services in place to help them be able to make a successful transition from high school to either college, community college, trade school or employment.”

Adams, the school’s culinary arts teacher, explained that his classes made the side dishes from scratch and helped fry the fish. He noted that the community feel is the most important part of preparing and serving the meals.

“Food is a binder. Food helps us build things, and it's a commonality between everybody. So it helps all of our classes come together,” Adams said. “It teaches kids that everybody in the school is part of a big community. If we can get them to work together while they're here, the idea is that whenever they come out into our community, they'll work together to help make the community better, too.”

The fish fry was a fun way to show the students’ appreciation for Alton Community Unit School District #11 staff members and community partners.

This Featured Article is sponsored by Alton Community Unit School District #11 To get your business or organization featured on www.Riverbender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.

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