Behind the inner walls of a supermarket runs a system of service and practicality unknown to many.

In effort to educate her class, Sharon Scharf, home economics teacher, continued nine years of tradition by touring a Save Mart supermarket on Sept. 28.

“I take the students to Save Mart every year,” Scharf said. “It’s probably the most informative field trip for the home economics class.”

The two-hour tour informed students on nutrition, food purchases, food service industry careers, recycling, food storage and care, label reading, food budget and products.

“I learned what kinds of food would benefit my body in the future,” John Dinsdale, ‘09, said, “but I found out about vitamins and how things run there.”

Since the home economics class started tours at Save Mart, public relations dietician, Sharon Blakely, has directed the tours for the last nine years.

“The students really enjoyed the trip,” Scharf said. “I think they were surprised.”

Blakely typically gives tours to adult groups, but started guiding groups of students for her teacher friends.

“I’m the chain-wide coordinator of the tours at both Save Mart and FoodMaxx,” Blakely said. “We guide 4,000 students a year.”

Returning home economics students anticipated similar tours, but some learned additional information.

“I went last year,” Aliza Ford, ‘07, said. “It was really cool to see where they bake cakes and I really enjoyed going into the big freezer. They weren't kidding when they said it is a freezer."

While the school has implemented a campus-wide recycling program, students discovered corporations also participate.

“I found out that grocery stores recycle a lot,” Nicole Bos, ‘07, said. “It’s not just paper and plastic but they also recycle vegetables and meat.”

The field trip to Save Mart reminded students of past experiences while expanding their knowledge of groceries.

“I hadn’t been shopping for groceries at Save Mart since I was ten,” Kedric Anderson, ‘08, said. “I used to go twice a month and I always knew exactly where the fruit snacks and the kool-aid packs were.”

For more information call Blakely at 1-800-692-5710.