The bell rang and a flood of students poured into the Fountain Hills Middle School cooking classroom, excitedly chattering as they began prepping for the day’s meal.

Several students made their way into the store room to grab supplies while others began washing some leftover dishes. Some students fetched pots, pans and utensils while others turned on their stoves and got ready to go to work.

Teacher Matt Pugliano followed his students into the room, calling out reminders and fielding questions as students darted past. The activity began to focus around the six main cooking stations, where Pugliano’s students worked together to make the day’s main dish: Hamburgers.

Some students added pepper or various other seasonings to the ground beef while one group actually cooked and diced up some bacon to throw into the mix.

While one group decided to make a pan of fries to go with their burgers, others started chopping up vegetables to complete their meal. Some had raw onions while others decided to fry theirs.

There was a lot of experimentation going on, which Pugliano said he was very excited to see.

According to FHMS/Four Peaks Elementary School Principal Anita Gomez, the cooking class is one of the hottest items offered during Fountain Hills’ summer school program.

When she discovered Pugliano had a passion for the kitchen, the duo got together to create an elective class that’s taught in quarters throughout the school year.

According to Pugliano, this first test run has been a blast and one that his sixth grade students immediately got behind.

“I think food is important for younger kids, especially nowadays, for them to learn about good nutrition and how to prepare meals,” Pugliano said.

“It’s a hobby of mine, and a lot of fun, and obviously the kids are really into it.”

When asked why he thought students found cooking so interesting, Pugliano smiled.

“A lot of the kids love to eat and I’ve chosen some really fun things for us to make,” he offered.

“[Hamburgers] are probably the most basic thing we’ve done so far. We did spaghetti with sauce from scratch last week, for example. It’s all just new and exciting for them to try.

“It’s not art, so kids who can’t draw can do this. It’s not music, so kids who can’t play can do this. This is something everyone can do.”

Two of his students, Seth Lishner and Olivia Swipiarski, said they were excited to give cooking in the classroom a try.

“The best part has either been the demos or us cooking,” Lishner said.

“I like when he cooks for us and shows us how to make something.”

Swipiarski agreed, adding that “eating it” is a lot of fun, too.

Lishner said he’s enjoyed learning how to use various kitchen tools to get the job done, while Swipiarski said that cooking burgers on a stove, rather than a standard grill, has been an interesting experience.

When asked what they say to their fellow students about their cooking class, Lishner and Swipiarski agreed that it’s “fun and interesting.”

According to Pugliano, this first year of cooking at FHMS was designed thematically.

Summer and fall dishes are on the agenda for the coming months, with the winter bringing more baking of holiday treats.

“We have the facilities and they were underutilized,” Pugliano said.

“I didn’t really get to take a class like this until I was in college and I really wish I would have had an opportunity like this when I was younger.”

For each dish, Pugliano goes over the basics of preparation before hosting a demo to show his students one way of making a particular dish. From there, he encourages his students to try their own thing to make each dish unique.

“A lot of kids these days get microwave stuff, and that’s not good. We’re covering several different processes of cooking — like grilling this week —and introducing the students to as much of that as possible,” he continued.

“This week we really focused on ingenuity and creating their own burgers. I showed them how to make a basic patty and encouraged them to do their own thing. Their imaginations have really taken off.”

Pugliano said that students are now clamoring to get involved with the cooking class, something that warms this educator’s heart.

“It’s awesome,” he said.

“We’ve talked about possibly turning this into a full program and making it a year-long thing, which would be cool.”

As for his students, Pugliano said he’s proud to see how quickly they’ve taken to the kitchen.

“They’re doing really well. I don’t even have to manage them much at this point,” he added.

“I give them instructions and they just run with it. I just want them to learn that food is fun. It’s not something to be scared of. Get in there and try new things.”