PINEHURST — Armed with a legion of volunteers, a cache of donated supplies and a skilled hand to give direction, Kellogg High School’s home economics classroom will be getting a makeover.

Janet Dose has taken over as the head of the Family and Consumer Science Department at Kellogg High School and when she saw the state of the outdated classroom, she sprang into action.

The five kitchenettes in the classroom were in serious disarray, with cupboard door faces and drawers showing their age. After decades of wear and tear, the decision was made to remove and repaint the kitchenettes.

“There was a need, so I grabbed my friends and asked for their help and they said yes,” Dose said.

It was no simple task either — the metal kitchen fixtures had to be sanded smooth before being painted, which had Dose’s army of volunteers getting in some serious forearm workouts while using sandpaper, as well as breathing in the smell of paint thinner.

“I tried to tell them it would be fun,” Dose said jokingly. “They got here and a little bit of sanding, I don’t think they were having too much fun. But really, I’m so thankful that they are helping me.”

Dose was able to get many of the materials donated, including the paint from Stovern Supply, as well as the painting itself (and the workspace) from Bob Jutila, owner of Perfection Auto Body in Pinehurst.

Jutila’s expertise in auto painting made Dose’s project much easier; in fact, the route they went in painting the fixtures will ensure that it lasts for some time.

“It was an easy decision to help out,” Jutila said. “They wanted to freshen the room up, it looked pretty bad. They said they wanted to repaint them, I suggested we use car paint. The paint we got from Stovern’s has an unconditional lifetime guarantee against chipping or scratching. Unless those kids go out of their way to damage it, it’s going to last. It’s a very high quality paint.”

After the sanding and prepping, Jutila took the doors to go through a process of painting and baking to make sure the paint dries good and hard before making the trip back to KHS.

Dose (with the help of many other staff members) has also redecorated the room with new tables and chairs, and is designing part of it to resemble a food court, and is looking for businesses who would be willing to advertise their restaurants in the classroom.

“The kids will come in and hopefully the room makes it feel like they are about to begin work in a restaurant,” Dose said.

Dose was also expressly thankful for the help she has received.

"All the people who have helped, in any way, thank you so much," Dose said. "From these folks here helping, Mr. Jutila, Stoverns, Pat (Elfsten) at Furniture Exchange, so many people donated time, materials, advice, and it was all very appreciated."

Businesses who want to participate with Dose’s mock food court can get in touch with her by contacting the school.