High school students learn to cook and eat healthy

Students cooked traditional Southern cuisine -- collards and yams -- using olive oil instead of pork.

Students prepare collard greens for cooking. Surrattsville High School was awarded a &#36;1,000 grant by United Health Heroes. The program aims to combat childhood obesity.

Bianca Sawyer, 11th grade, slices yams for baking. Instead of candying the sweet potatoes, the students julienned them, then baked them with a little olive oil and cinnamon.

In the kitchen, Kim Carrington, right, helps students with slicing yams, which will then be baked.

At the start of the day, Bianca Harrison, right, gets her apron tied by Bianca Sawyer. Both of them are in the 11th grade.

Shaquan Blake, 9th grade, samples some of the food. Health Heroes kicked off on Tuesday morning, Jan. 19, with a cooking class.

Students from Surrattsville High sample food from tables set up in the cafeteria. Kim Carrington, a substitute teacher in Prince George

Clas Duncan, 11th grade, samples some of the collard greens the cooking class made. Instead of cooking the collards with pork, the students used chicken bouillon, olive oil, onions and garlic.