It’s not every day that parents get to ask their children what’s for dinner. But for the parents of students at Bethel School in University City, a recent Friday night brought the opportunity to ask their kids what was on the menu, and to enjoy the attentive service of waiters and waitresses from grades four through seven. The school’s dining room had been transformed into “Casa Bambino,” a one-night-only Italian restaurant complete with checkered tablecloths, candles and a maitre d’.
This is the third year that Bethel School has hosted “Casa Bambino.” It was the brainchild of Arlene Itzi, the mother of two former and two current students at the school. Itzi puts her background in home economics to good use with Bethel students. In the past, she has taught wool-spinning and has helped make imitation Play-Doh. As part of the “Casa Bambino” project, the students who participate learn appropriate food handling, how to set a table and proper serving technique.
Carmel Walker, President of the Parent Teacher League and parent of Bethel fourth grader Joi Walker, says the PTL sponsors the event, as well as a Thanksgiving lunch. “It’s nice if the parents don’t always have to pay for things,” Walker says.
Mary Johnson, who teaches grades three through five, says it’s helpful for parents and teachers to have time to talk in a relaxed atmosphere. Johnson, who is in her seventh year at Bethel, enjoys the diversity and sense of community that is fostered there. “We all think of each other as family,” she says.
Johnson says the school’s creative programs are also a strong point. Bethel’s small size allows greater flexibility to try new things, she says. As an example, for the last three years students have studied one country—including its food, games, family life and customs throughout the school year. This year, Korea has been the designated country.
Bethel also offers Second Step, a conflict resolution program. Incidents of hostility are not common at Bethel, Johnson says, but they do occasionally happen. Also, because the school attracts students from various parts of the St. Louis area, the program can help children in their own neighborhoods. “Here, they’re nurtured,” Johnson says. “Out there, they’re going to have to learn to take care of themselves.”
As guests begin to arrive, Itzi prepares her wait staff with final instructions as she fills serving bowls with pasta con broccoli from an enormous pan. Like any self-respecting chef or hostess, she encourages the servers to make sure that all guests have a chance at second helpings.
“What if they don’t want seconds?” one young waitress asks.
“Well, you can’t make people eat, but you can make sure they don’t go hungry,” Itzi replies amid the hubbub.
“Casa Bambino is a much anticipated event in the school year,” says Sandy Kalin, Principal at Bethel. “It’s really something for them to anticipate,” she says. “They really like it for the leadership and responsibility that it requires of them. They know it’s not just picking something up and throwing it on the table.”
The work surrounding the dinner—decorating, cooking, serving, cleaning up—is also a good way for them to put into practice the school’s emphasis on serving others, Kalin adds.
Service is such an important component of Bethel’s philosophy that starting in first grade, students are required to give service hours equal to their grade. For example, a seventh grader must give seven hours of service to either the school or to Bethel Church, which shares space with the school. Throughout the year, students can earn their hours.
Tonight, though, the students are taking care of others first, and then themselves. After everyone at “Casa Bambino” has been served and had a crack at those all-important second helpings, the students have a chance to enjoy the spaghetti which gets two thumbs up. Anita Sloan, a sixth-grader, doesn’t think her future lies in waitressing. “Your legs get so tired,” she says, “and you get hungry looking at everyone’s food.”
Leanna, a third-grader, makes it clear she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. And fourth-grader Lucy Schroeder already has a head start on a career in creative writing. But for the moment, big plans for the future will have to wait, and the parents are allowed to linger at the dinner table. Because tonight, it’s the kids’ turn to do the dishes.
