Hospitality High School, which bills itself as the first and only public charter school in the United States that prepares students for both college and the hospitality industry, has opened a new facility in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
The building, which as gutted for a US$2.5 million makeover, includes a hospitality wing, an arts space, science rooms and a culinary teaching kitchen. Its rooftop will ultimately house a garden to be utilized in the school’s culinary program.
Each year, students at the school are required to take a full academic course load in addition to four hospitality courses, while gaining knowledge through both course work and hands-on experience in the field. The school regularly brings in mentors and teachers with national credentials, which have included “Hell’s Kitchen” star Rahman “Rock” Harper and Food Network’s “Sweet Genius” winner Tamarra “Mama Cocoa” Thomas.
“With our new state-of-the-art facilities, we can now offer an even more exemplary education for our students, and the proximity to downtown Washington, now one of the most thriving hospitality and tourism centers in the country, is unparalleled,” said Hospitality High Executive Director Tiffany Godbout Williams.