One tool for keeping kids on the right path is keeping them busy and learning. Think sports, scouting, music and dance lessons. Think cooking.

After school at Jarrett Middle School, things are still hopping in a home economics classroom. Pans sizzle and appetizing aromas fill the air as preteens in aprons huddle around stove tops and hustle with sponges at rows of sinks. They wipe tables, pour water into cups, set out utensils and napkins.

In the middle of the organized chaos is chef Dale Thomas, clad in white chef’s coat and hat, shouting above the fray to offer instructions, gentle corrections and encouragement.

"No one sits down. We clean as we go," Thomas reminds a few idle participants.

It’s a typical afternoon in the Palolo school’s After-School All-Stars Hawaii cooking class, one of several classes that fill out a daily three-hour program for youths who might otherwise be left at home unsupervised. The after-school program is part of a national initiative founded by Arnold Schwar­ze­neg­ger in 1992 to provide activities at middle schools with a high percentage of low-income, at-risk students.

Thomas, a chef at the Hale Koa Hotel for more than 25 years, designed the class (including recipes) and has been running it for almost five years. Other Hawaii schools have implemented his cooking model for their All-Stars programs.

"We teach habits as well as skills. We teach hygiene and nutrition as well as cooking," he said. A can of soda and chips for breakfast is not uncommon, according to Thomas.

"Some of these kids have never had a salad. The majority have never had oatmeal. When they eat it, they say, ‘This is unreal.’ I try to encourage a healthy breakfast so they can be alert while they’re learning."

Sixth-grader Emi Luo, 11, said the class has exposed her to different kinds of food.

"I get to taste a variety of things here, and at home I can teach my mom new recipes," she said. "My mom thinks I can use what I learn here for a different purpose: for a job as a cook."

Masahiro Kia, 13, an eighth-grader, said students learn a variety of practical skills.

"For chopping we learned to julienne, dice, mince and chop," he said. "If I ever want to be a chef, I know some of the basic things to do."

Each class runs 10 to 12 weeks, and at the end, students go home with a recipe book. The skills they learn often benefit the whole family.

Sonia Zabala, mother of 12-year-old Kauanoe, said the class has opened up her daughter’s world.

"Chef Thomas teaches so much more than just cooking. They discuss what it takes to make food, from gardens to chemistry. They learn to communicate. He talks to them about making something of themselves. Then they eat together," Zabala said. "Now my daughter cooks at home for us."

The higher learning resulting from the class "offers these kids that edge they need, or they will be left behind," Thomas said. "Hopefully, they’re learning not just life skills, but skills for a trade as well. Some take high school culinary classes and end up working in a restaurant. This gives them a chance to look toward the future."

Sophia Benz didn’t need the inspiration of a program to get herself into the kitchen. The 14-year-old Hawaii Kai resident is sensitive to gluten, so she decided that rather than be deprived of flour-driven treats, she would bake gluten-free versions for herself. That choice released her inner chef.

"One year I wanted to have pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, so I made it from scratch," she recalled. "The crust was gluten-free, and I liked it better than wheat. I used a rice flour, which to me has a creamier texture that gets crispy on the outside but has a chewiness on the inside.

"It was so much fun, I decided I wanted to start baking."

Less than two years later, Sophia is now turning out delicate treats that wow her friends and family.

"Her desserts are just amazing," said her mother, Ramona Benz. "I don’t know how she does it. She just seems to have a natural knack for it."

Sophia bakes "whatever I find that’s interesting and seems kind of challenging, and I like making things from scratch. When you bake from scratch, it can be a lot healthier because you can control what you put in."

In experimenting with her brownie recipe, for instance, Sophia added berries to the batter to boost its nutritional value.

"I love all sorts of berries, and I love chocolate, and people have berries with brownies, so I thought they might be good inside. So this (recipe) can become more of a muffin rather than just a brownie," she said.

One of Sophia’s aspirations for the future is to open up a pastry shop. "I don’t really like the thought of sitting behind a desk. I like to be on my feet a lot."

Her mother said Sophia does all the recipe research and baking by herself, and when she bakes she is happy.

"It all seems so effortless," Benz said. "She goes into this zone and just works. Even when we shopped for ingredients the other day, she had a smile on her face. When I asked her why, she said, ‘I’m just thinking about what I’m gonna make.’

"I think baking brings out the best in her. It’s her way of giving."

Sophia agrees.

"It’s a lot of work sometimes, but it’s not stressful work. It’s relaxing," she said. "I just like the feel of baking. I like being able to create food people enjoy. It’s very satisfying."

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Visit After-School All-Stars Hawaii at goo.gl/NPsDQ.