Mr. Sanderson’s 8th-grade Language Arts classes at West Hills Middle School turned a lesson about Gail Halvorsen into a sweet, creative project. Students read about Halvorsen, who is a Utah native best known as the “Candy Bomber,” and for his humanitarian missions to improve morale in Berlin by parachuting candy into the city. The students used those lessons to design their own chocolate bars, selecting the type of chocolate and mix-ins, as well as creating a name, slogan, and wrapper for the candy bars.
Their ideas were then worked into a persuasive presentation for the class, with a winner in each class advancing to the finals. The entire student body voted on their favorite candy design, selecting one winner to represent West Hills Middle.
Ryan Jazayerli prevailed as the overall winner and will have his fictional milk chocolate bar brought to life by Taste Artisan Chocolate in Provo this Spring.
Along with Mr. Sanderson’s class, a sister class in Berlin has completed a parallel project to commemorate Halvorsen. This spring, the two classes will meet in Utah to have their candy bars actually made into delectable bites. Then they will stage their own “Candy Drop” at West Hills to celebrate the anniversary of the end of the Berlin Blockade.
Great job, Ryan and everyone in Mr. Sanderson’s classes!