Chocolate Project (2021)
Following the success of the Soda Project, the 2021-2022 school year introduced the Chocolate Project to accompany our class reading of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. For the Chocolate Project, students designed their own chocolate bars and competed to decide our top Golden Ticket winners and overall champion. The winning idea — Campfire Crunch (milk chocolate + Golden Grahams + dehydrated marshmallows) — was made into a real chocolate bar by the Aggie Chocolate Factory, a bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer at Utah State University.
At 10:00am on February 1st — just like in the book! — the Golden Ticket winners were invited to tour the Aggie Chocolate Factory. Dressed in white coats and hairnets, the students got to pour the chocolate and make the winning chocolate bar.
On April 19th, the director and the manager of the Aggie Chocolate Factory visited our school and delivered the finished chocolate bars at an assembly. Media were on-hand the cover the event.
Below is the various media coverage that documented the project:
- Utah State University: “The Aggie Chocolate Factory Hosts Butler Middle School for Chocolate Competition”
- Canyons School District: “Butler Middle Student’s ‘Willy Wonka’ Project Results in Creation of Candy Bar”
- Deseret News: “Photo of the day: Sixth grader does Willy Wonka proud with Campfire Crunch chocolate bar”
- Fox 13 News: “Sweet victory for Cottonwood Heights sixth grader”
- Cottonwood Heights Journal: “Butler Middle student’s chocolate bar may rival Willy Wonka’s”
- Friday Message – Canyons School District Superintendent, Dr. Rick L. Robins:
February 18, 2022:
Despite all the pressures that we’re shouldering, it’s really been heartwarming to see teachers, counselors, school-staff, and others continue to find ways to make this year special for students. For example, earlier this month, six students from Butler Middle School got a taste of what it’s like to be Willy Wonka during a tour of the Utah State University chocolate factory. These students were the winners of an ELA classroom contest brainstormed by their teacher, Mark Sanderson. After reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 6th graders were assigned to create their own chocolate bar with a slogan, tagline, and marketing label. These students’ ideas were put into a schoolwide vote and six Golden Ticket winners were invited to the Aggie Chocolate Factory.
What a great way to connect the standards to something fun and meaningful to students. I have no doubt that this will be something these students will always remember and I’m sure these students will become successful future business leaders, themselves. So, that’s very exciting. Way to go!
April 22, 2022:
There have been many bucket-filling moments recently for me as I have visited schools. That is always one of my favorite things to do. [. . .]
Butler Middle held an assembly to honor a student who won a chocolate-making contest, as part of a “Willy Wonka” activity to bring to life the required reading of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was awesome to be there and see our students so excited about reading and also the chocolate contest.