You can’t have a celebration without food! Brooke Mattapan scholars made their favorite family dishes to share with their classmates during the schoolwide Rep Your Roots food festival. Second grade scholar Shealon brought in a homemade macaroni pie made by her mom Nadie to share with her classmates.

“This is my favorite meal from my family that my mom makes. One day, I want to learn the recipe so I can make it for parties, family time, and my children if I have any!”

– Shealon, Brooke Mattapan 2nd Grade Scholar

Nadie’s Macaroni Pie

This is a popular Trinbago dish and is usually served with callaloo and stew chicken.

Ingredients

• 1 box elbow macaroni
• 1 egg
• 4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8oz block of New Zealand cheddar cheese (or any extra sharp cheddar)
• 1 can evaporated milk (regular whole or reduced fat milk also works)
• 1 tbsp of golden ray butter (if you don’t have golden ray you can use regular butter)
• 1 tbsp regular butter
• 1 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 1/4 tsp Minced pimentos
• 1/4 tsp Green seasoning
• 1/4 tsp Mustard
• Salt to taste
• A pinch of white pepper

Directions

1. Grate the block of New Zealand cheddar cheese.
2. Boil a pot of water until it’s bubbling, add box of elbow macaroni and salt, cook for about 10 minutes – then drain.
3. While macaroni is cooking – whisk together egg, milk, onions, pimentos, green seasoning & mustard.
4. After macaroni is drained, while it’s still hot put it back on the stove on very low heat.
5. Add golden ray butter, regular butter, egg mixture and both cheeses (save some cheddar cheese for the top of the pie), mix everything together under low heat until melted. Add white pepper and salt to taste.
6. Pour in a greased baking dish, sprinkle top with remaining cheddar cheese and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

In February, Brooke High School hosted its first poetry slam, with scholars performing multiple original spoken word pieces for their peers. Blessing, BHS Class of 2024, won the competition with a series of poems focused on female empowerment and countering toxic culture.

“Dirty”

Sometimes when gravity gets to pulling
I think about you
I like to imagine that you’re somewhere trying to figure yourself out
Which is easier than thinking that you were never lost

Sometimes when I get angry
I think about you
And sometimes when I think about you
I get angry

I swallowed myself in
I rocked myself to sleep
I wiped my own tears
became unstable
Traveled to Mars
Found Kryptonite
Came back and lived with Mermaids
Then, I learned how to fly
And was cast out of heaven
Did the impossible
trying to be everything you couldn’t be
I tried to-
Stop
I wish it would have all just stopped

You were supposed to teach me everything there was to life
Teach me how to love
instead,
You taught me how to hate
In a way life never could
You don’t get to give me bricks
and then call me heartless when I build a wall
Like what was I supposed to do?

I broke my arms
I tore my muscles
Ripped them from their bone-
Leaving my flesh open for vultures
Just so I could reach you in your abyss

Congratulations
You have made me a survivor

I thought your bottomless pit
could one day be paradise
Now I’m left
Wishing I was living as if you never happened

One day,
I will forgive you for hurting us
more than you could ever actually love us
and In some faraway world
I hope you exist in more than my nightmares

But
in this world
right now
I just want to heal