Cove Junior High students receive STAAR treatment

By Alicia Weikum 
Special to the Leader-Press

Donning a tuxedo complete with a bow tie and cummerbund and a cloth napkin draped neatly across his forearm, Copperas Cove Junior High teacher Sean Royal poured each of his students some “bubbly” to celebrate their achievements on the STAAR test. The “bubbly,” of course, was white grape juice, but the gourmet meal, made by Royal himself, was nothing short of spectacular and the service was impeccable.
Royal, a seventh grade math teacher, issued a challenge to his students while they were reviewing for the STAAR test. Any of Royal’s approximately 150 students could participate in the challenge that required taking a released version of the STAAR test and passing with score of 83 or higher. For those who succeeded, Royal agreed to personally cater a gourmet lunch prepared and served by him on the school’s patio.  
Eight students accepted the challenge and Royal rewarded the efforts of the the top three students, Jacob Hurley, Jayden Triplett, and Qui’arez Thomas. 
The young gentleman dined on Chicken Cordon Bleu, whole roasted potatoes, rice pilaf, seasoned French bread, and sparkling grape juice with a frozen berry medley. Royal prepared the entire meal from scratch. He did all the prep work for the meal at home and used CCJHS’s culinary lab for the actual cooking of the meal.  Sparing no details, Royal set out tablecloths on a patio table to set the tone for the meal. 
“I was really impressed that Mr. Royal was such a good cook and thankful that he was willing to do this for his students”, Hurley said.
Royal was excited to hear all the positive feedback from his students he shared the meal with. 
“Next year, my goal is to publicize it more and maybe even get some more teachers on board to help participate in and cater the challenge,” Royal said. “It’s a great wait to encourage students and show that them that we really are willing to do a lot to help them succeed.”