"I was flabbergasted with the talent. It just took my breath away," said Kmetz-Casseri, although she admitted wondering, as she watched the students working on their entries, if they would be able to pull it together in time for the cake-decorating contest.

A panel of judges, comprised by the school's staff and faculty Principal Allan Gee, Clayton Smith, Brian Carper, Denise Ogle, Lin Hampson, Matt Tucker, Pam Newton and Mike Steen selected the following top entries:

* First place; Caroline de Creeft;

* Second place: Katelin "KT" Kuklis;

* Third place, a tie: Aurora Roderick and Jose Jimenez.

The first-place creation was a double-layer devil's food cake with a vanilla butter cream frosting. Taking inspiration from real life, Caroline's entry resembled a hockey rink with a skeleton sporting a broken ankle.

"My Uncle Jose broke his ankle playing hockey, and when I got the assignment that we had to make a cake that was supposed to be a fall or Halloween theme, I decided on a skeleton and then was thinking about how much my uncle can't do and decided to make something for him," said Caroline.

Artistic talent runs in Caroline's family. Her great-grandfather, Jose de Creeft of Guadalajara, Spain, received acclaim for work he did before and after coming to the United States in the 1920s.

"He sculpted in bronze and created the Alice in Wonderland statues in Central Park in New York," said Caroline.

Her mother, Anita, works in pottery and bronze. Caroline's artistic talent has surfaced in other mediums, but this was her break-through in the kitchen

"This is the first cake I've ever made," said Caroline, a freshman. "The most I've ever cooked was corn muffins from a Jiffy mix package. That was pretty much my experience."

This also is the first time culinary arts, a one-semester elective that was the brainchild of former HHS Principal Rayna Duenas, has been taught at the school.

"(Duenas) was trying to get more electives and vocational-type classes that would interest and serve our kids' needs," said Kmetz-Casseri.

Laughing at her own lack of culinary expertise, Kmetz-Casseri said she is learning along with the students as they lay claim to a five-kitchen classroom formerly used for home economics and life skills classes.

"I don't have any culinary art certificates or endorsements whatsoever. I'm strictly a special ed teacher and I struggle with (culinary arts), but I'm enjoying it," she said of the class.

The students range from freshmen to seniors and include 13 girls and five boys. Along with course content, they are learning the challenges of funding a class they want to take. Because culinary arts is an elective and because Kmetz-Casseri is not a certified instructor in that subject area, "we're running basically with no budget," she said.

To make the decorating contest a reality, students found sponsors for their cakes, drawing from school faculty and staff, family members and other students. Some sponsors loaned their cake pans, some supplied ingredients. In return, sponsors were given the cakes. The students are working with a marketing class to come up with ideas for fundraising and Kmetz-Casseri said she has support from school administration that funding is being sought.

In the meantime, the class continues. The next unit of study focuses on yeast.

"We're talking breads, so if there are any bread-makers out there that want to come in and help, come on down," said Kmetz-Casseri.

After that, the students will take on the subject of grains.

"The culminating activity in December will be for them to come up with a healthy meal, make it and serve it," Kmetz-Casseri said.

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky.@homernews.com.