From Field to Freezer

At Pioneer Middle School, teacher Aaron Leth and students trade textbooks for butcher knives as they learn meat processing through an innovative field-to-table class that connects classroom learning to community needs and practical skills.

The trimester course teaches middle schoolers professional butchering techniques and other field skills, using commercial-grade equipment. It’s all thanks to a ‌$40,000 from the (now paused) Washington Outdoor Education Grant and a special hanging freezer donated by the Shelton Nimrod Club. Leth mentioned it wouldn’t be possible without these contributions. 

On processing days, students rotate through stations—deboning, grinding, mixing seasonings, and vacuum sealing—as they process deer, elk, and other game into steaks, ground burger, and summer sausage.

Students learn to minimize waste by finding uses for every part of the animal. Bones go to local dogs, while fat and trimmings help community members create homemade dog food. This approach teaches conservation alongside technical skills. 

"This is, like, probably my favorite class, because it [connects more] to my life, because I like hunting and stuff too, and processing, so this, it kind of just helps me," one student explained while working at the grinding station.

Community members also make this class possible. They bring their harvested game to the school's walk-in cooler, where students process the meat using equipment that includes commercial grinders capable of handling 20 pounds per minute. They’ve processed at least seven deer so far this fall. 

This hands-on approach transforms students into skilled butchers and processors who contribute real value to their families and community. 

"It helps teach me to help other people,” another student reflected. “I get to teach my little brother, because we got an elk, and I taught him how to do some of the stuff."

Beyond meat processing, the curriculum currently includes hunter or boater safety certification, fire building, and lessons on how to create survival shelters. Program equipment can be used across multiple classes and kitchen operations, maximizing resources for the entire school community.

Principal Tricia Van Marter sharing about the program has led to contacts with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). They now plan to certify Leth in hunter safety and will be visiting in the spring to help with a new archery program. 

Local sporting goods store, Verles, also reached out and will be donating first year hunting licenses and a deer tag to every first-year hunter who passes their hunter education portion of the class through Pioneer. This program is making waves both locally and statewide. 

After the trimester is finished, students continue their work through Wellness Wednesday class periods, building expertise throughout the year. Mr. Leth’s field-to-table model is proving so successful that other local schools plan to replicate the program to serve other communities and tribal hunters. This is transformative career and technical education that feeds communities — and futures.