A spread of baked goods, lined tables draped in pink, posters and labels decorating the display, a combination of heart-adorned packaging and love-themed advertisements. You’ve stepped into the auditorium and entered a world of homemade sweets and cookies: the Middle School Bake Sale.
At Grier, where over 200 students roam the halls, only 33 combined are in 7th and 8th grade. Despite their small numbers, these middle school students are entrusted annually with the important task of hosting the Valentine’s Day Bake Sale. The proceeds go to the Grier School Fund, providing emergency support for community members in need.
Eighth-grade Class President, Margaretta “Gretta” Burke explained the importance of the bake sale for the middle schoolers. “The bake sale is really the only thing that we organize,” said Burke. “We get community service from it, though. So that’s a big thing because a lot of the girls are younger. In seventh grade, it was what really finished my community service for me, and it’s sort of helpful for people who don’t know how to get it.” Middle schoolers only need 10 hours of community service, and the bake sale knocks out two of them.
Beyond the community service hours, the bake sale is also about preparing students for future leadership. “It’s really helping us adjust for whenever we’re older to do leadership roles,” Burke added. By senior year, student council members carry significant responsibilities—planning activities, organizing spirit weeks, addressing student concerns, and representing the entire student body. Starting with manageable roles in middle school helps students build these skills early, especially when surrounded by older students and teachers who can help guide them.
Of course, a large chunk of credit is owed to the middle school supervisors. Burke said Mrs. Davis, the Learning Skills teacher, “has us read poems at the class meetings, which is sort of funny, but it’s getting used to there being a leadership role for whenever you’re in high school. So, it’s not as stressful when you’re a student council person.”
The middle school student council members also made sure to divide the responsibilities for the Bake Sale so that everything was accomplished. “I did donations because I’m a day student,” Burke explained. Eighth-grade Class Secretary, Holly Baxter, described her role, saying “When we have class meetings, I write down important stuff. And then we usually stay after, so we talk about what’s happening.”
Both Baxter and Burke expressed their desire to be involved in the Grier community. For younger students, connecting with the wider school community can be challenging. “I know a lot of older people because my [riding] lessons are with all grades,” Baxter said, but “I don’t know anyone who is in high school who is not in riding.” Events like the bake sale can help bridge the gap between middle and high schoolers since being involved in more activities brings people of all ages together.
