Skip to Content
/ Articles / Community /

Twin Valley 7th graders team up with Keystone Military Families for 17th Annual Cookie Bake

Oct 24, 2017 • by Twin Valley School District
Left to right, 7th graders Evan Gould, Sam Schillermann, Sarah Miller, Kylee Wheatley, and Alexa Duke pose with a portion of donated supplies for October 27th event

This is the 17th year that TVMS 7th grade students have participated in the Cookie Bake project. It was started in 2001 by Mrs. Lisa Thiry, who was a 7th grade math teacher at the time. Over the years TVMS 7th graders have baked, packaged, and shipped literally tens of thousands of cookies that go to soldiers who are stationed overseas. Last year they baked and packaged over 9,000 cookies!

This is an interdisciplinary activity in which students take a recipe for chocolate chip cookies and calculate the amount of ingredients that would be necessary for every 7th grade student to mix a bath of cookies with a partner. There is an army of parent and community volunteers who assist the students with mixing the batter, portioning onto sheet trays, and transporting them to our kitchen where our adult volunteers handle the baking process. Once baked and cooled, the cookies are then packed to be sent to military members who are stationed abroad. Included with each box of cookies are letters that students write in their Language Arts classes.

The boxes are shipped with the assistance of Keystone Military Families with funds that are collected by selling cookie coupons to our 5th, 6th, and 8th grade students. The coupons are redeemed on the day of the Cookie Bake for a fresh chocolate chip cookie.

This year’s Cookie Bake will be held on Friday, October 27th. Students begin baking around 7:00am and wrap things up at 11:00am. In that time students rotate through a baking station, work on an art project, and get an opportunity to listen and ask questions to soldiers (both active and retired) who volunteer to come share their experiences.

Dr. Jerry Catagnus, TVMS Principal, “This activity is a great example of an interdisciplinary community service project that involves the entire 7th grade learning community, including parents and members of the Armed Forces, many of whom live in the school district. It has truly become a yearly “event” for our staff and students. It is an honor for us to serve and connect with those who serve our country.”

Mr. Jerry Wilczynski, 7th Grade Math Teacher, “This is the 17th year of our Cookie Bake project – each year it seems to get bigger and better.  This project serves as a small way that we as teachers and students can say thank you to those who protect and serve our country.  It also is a reminder that, in a time when we are surrounded by negative news, there are a lot of people who are doing good things to serve their communities.”

We need your support!

Your contribution makes community media possible.

A donation of any size to your nonprofit media organization supports the future of media access in our community - the things you love, and the places you care about, by the people you know.

Live Streaming