Cookies, Candy, and Community: How bake sales shape CCHS culture

Speech and Debate’s bake sale.

At CCHS, clubs are a cornerstone of school culture and community.  They provide spaces for like-minded people to gather, act as centers for communities, and make contributions to both the school and Culver City as a whole.  One way they contribute is by raising money to make donations, often by hosting bake sales. Bake sales at CCHS act as fun events for students as well as opportunities for community service.

Speech and Debate, a long-standing club at CCHS, uses bake sales as an important fundraising method.  As both a club and a team, Speech and Debate works with coaches and teachers to attend tournaments and compete within their league.  However, these events are not free. By selling baked goods, clubs like Speech and Debate are made more accessible to all students, regardless of any financial restrictions. Lucine Linnemayr, a junior and the Treasurer of Speech and Debate, says that bake sales are “a great way to get the whole team involved in an activity” and that they plan to use the money raised from their latest bake sale to “buy supplies and fund tournaments”.  She also states that, while the interactions with the student body might be small, “it’s really nice to talk to the kids you don't know, even if it is as small as offering someone baked goods”.

While some clubs host bake sales as an extension of their focus, like Speech and Debate, some clubs’ sole focus is raising money through these events.  One club that relies on bake sales to raise money is Compassionate Cakes, which is a second- year club at CCHS with an aim to fundraise and donate to charities by selling baked goods. They try to give back to the community through a love of baking and baked goods. Similarly, the Caring Hearts Crew club recently hosted a bake sale to earn money to fund the creation of donation kits for hospitals, first responders, and the homeless. To do this, they sold hot chocolate and sweets after school.

However, there is one barrier that keeps bake sales from being as successful as they could be: students don’t bring cash to school. Because of school regulations, clubs are unable to accept credit cards or Apple Pay, which many students use instead, as forms of payment. So, students can only pay with cash, which only a limited number of them actually carry with them to school. So, make sure to carry cash with you and stay updated on future bake sales to get a sweet treat in the future.

The effects that bake sales have on the community may seem small, but one cookie sold can mean that one more student gets to participate in a competition or that one more person receives a warm meal or care package. In the end, students support other students by buying a cookie or a cupcake, and in turn, clubs give back to the school, community, and those in need. The cycle of giving back is extremely important to the CCHS community as a whole.