By John McDevitt

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Helping kids prepare for the future. That’s the goal of a special partnership between a Center City luxury hotel and a Queen Village elementary school.

“I hope I can recruit some chefs of the future.”

Executive Sous Chef Patrick McBrayer was showing some eighth graders from the William Meredith Elementary School in Queen Village around Ritz Carlton kitchen. Students and hotel staffers have met monthly since September.

“The program offers a lot of incentives for the children to do some things other than to consider dropping out,” says eighth grade teacher and dean of students at Mr. Carlton Holman. “They need to know that there are more options in this kind of industry other than what they see on the surface.”

“Well, I think the program is really helpful for kids,” says Deborah Livigni, 14. “It taught us good manners. It taught us skills, like when you work in a team. When we get older, we’re going to need to learn the life skills that they taught us. And they told us more what they do and how the relationships work within the hotel.”

The kids got a surprise on the programs last day. The hotel staff held a hotel Olympics for the students with events like blindfolded bed making competitions and bell hop cart races.