District 228 EXCEL Program Hosts an Excellent Bake Sale

From the outside, a bake sale looks fairly easy to run; have people make delicious homemade treats and sell them for profit, done. Right? Not at Bremen High School! This month the Bremen District 228 Special Education Functional Skills program (EXCEL) hosted a bake sale but coordinated it from start to finish. The students were busy the entire week leading up to the sale. They practiced money management and social skills, while others were busy baking the treats. On the list of treats for sale were: root beer floats, puppy chow, brownies, and sundaes.

“The bake sale was a success on all levels. The students were able to raise $303 that will be utilized to purchase aprons and assist in their end of the year celebration. I am so proud of them!” exclaimed EXCEL teacher Mrs. Rachel Wnenk.

The EXCEL program’s overall mission is to develop functional academic skills, cultivate vocational skills, independent living skills, and improve social communication skills. “The bake sale was directly in line with our mission in EXCEL and was another fantastic hands-on learning experience that our students were able to work on skills they can use throughout their lives,” said Wnenk.

On April 21, students from the Bremen High School Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) class and teacher Ms. Tanya Mack, presented a check for $150 to the EXCEL students. FCCLA raised the money through a bake sale of their own, making 150 bags of homemade puppy chow with the intention of donating the profits to EXCEL.

“Unbelievable. The students at Bremen High School are so generous and thoughtful. I love that they look out for and embrace the EXCEL students as part of their student body. We were extremely touched that they donated the money to our program,” said Wnenk.

To find out more information about Bremen District 228’s EXCEL or FCCLA programs contact Mrs. Wnenk at Rwnenk@bhsd228.com.