"Bugsgiving" in AP Environmental Science

Want to cause a buzz at this year's Thanksgiving gathering? Show up with a festive dish featuring bugs as a key ingredient!

Juniors and seniors in Lawrence Bizzarro's Advanced Placement Environmental Science class tackled a serious topic through an adventure-filled experience as they studied the environmental impact of Thanksgiving. Instead of taking a negative approach, Bizzarro led his students through an eye-opening exploration of alternative foods that are environmentally friendly, including different types of edible insects. It was fascinating for students to learn about how bugs are a source of nutrition in a variety of cultures around the world.

For the past 13 years, Bizzarro has taught a "Bugsgiving" lesson, featuring a different recipe each time to accompany his lecture. On the menu for this year's lesson was "double chirp chocolate coffee brownies," a decant dessert with crickets added for extra crunch! Crickets are high in protein and also offer many important minerals our bodies need, such as iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and zinc.

Past "Bugsgiving" events have featured quesadillas, pancakes and nachos. While you might not be able to pick up crickets at your local grocery store, food-grade crickets can be ordered online, and they come in both sweet and savory flavor profiles.

We are so thankful to see the creativity and ingenuity our teachers bring to the classroom each and every day here at Albany High. This lesson is one that will definitely be a topic of conversation at our students' holiday gatherings this Thanksgiving!