Sarah Lorenson, who has been teaching ProStart for 12 years at Oak Park High School in the North Kansas City School District, was named the 2025 Missouri ProStart Educator of Excellence.
She is a certified family consumer sciences and human services educator who completed three levels of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Summer institutes, has a Hospitality & Tourism Management certification from Florida Atlantic University and is a certified hospitality educator from the American Hotel and Lodging Education Institute.
Her community activities include volunteering at the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association Gilbert Robertson Dinner and serving as the co-sponsor for the Oak Park FCCLA chapter. While in the district, she has also coached basketball for two seasons, cross country for seven seasons and has been an assistant coach for girls soccer for 17 years.
Lorenson and Oak Park ProStart students have catered events for school district, school board meetings and for Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association events. Students have also participated in field trips to Chip’s Chocolate Factory, Hy-Vee and Shatto Milk.
According to Missouri ProStart, the career-building two-year program is for high school students interested in culinary arts and food service management.
ProStart students receive classroom training, mentored work experience, marketable job skills and access to college scholarships.
Oak Park ProStart students have competed in the Missouri ProStart Invitational held in February in Springfield. Teams have received third place in culinary competition two years in a row in 2022 and 2023 and fourth place in management in 2023. They’ve also attended Johnson County Community competitions and have attended Cook Around the World in Orlando, Florida for two years.
“Oak Park and the North Kansas City School District have had a wonderful partnership with Worlds of Fun Culinary department. Chef Wesley Boston and Chef Nick Norton have helped mentor the culinary competition students and provided jobs in the industry for many of Lorenson’s students,” reads a release.
“There are many things that I could potentially share about my students and my program, but one thing I am most proud of is helping create our pathways program in the school district,” Lorenson said. “We made a hospitality and culinary pathway for students in the high school. 2025 is the year our first group has made it all the way through. In this senior level class, 95% of my students already work in the industry, have taken the ServSafe manager exam and will pass their ProStart Certificate of Achievement.”
Currently, 18 students have their COA, Lorenson said.
“This program has continued to grow and I am happy to say many students will be entering the industry prepped and ready to go. I have at least seven moving on after high school to continue their education in the hospitality industry,” she said. “In the summer, we are celebrating with an educational, culinary-focused trip to Japan.”
