It was a battle of the cupcakes during the Pasadena ISD First Annual Cupcake Wars at San Jacinto College-Central Campus.
Hosted by the district’s After School Program (Texas ACE), the competition attracted over 200 students and their parents who put on their creative hats and designed Dr. Seuss-themed cupcakes in celebration of his 110th birthday.
From classic works like
Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss’ books came alive in the yummiest arrangements.
The event was part of an on-going initiative that promotes
parental involvement and provides an engaging educational experience for
students both during and after school. The ACE Team, including Steven Villano, Janice Brody, Christina Torres, Kim Richardson, Sara Bergman, calls Cupcake Wars a perfect recipe for student achievement.
“Cupcake Wars combines literature with real-world activities,” said ACE Project Director, Steven Villano. “Students learned math and science using innovative techniques to decorate cupcakes in their after-school cooking classes and at the event. They worked with their parents and peers to create cupcakes.”
Here’s how it works: Participating schools were asked to assemble a team of up to twelve students and twelve adult family members. Each team received 24 cupcakes – donated by Mi Tienda – and created elaborate displays using edible accessories like candy, sprinkles and more. Teams had about an hour to complete their projects.
When time was up, a panel of cupcake enthusiasts judged teams on appearance, decorations and overall design. Miller Intermediate students tasted sweet victory as they baked their way to first place, Best of Show, Most Creative and Best Representation of Theme. Gardens Elementary shared the first place slot with Miller. Second place went to Morales Elementary and Jackson Intermediate. Milstead Middle and San Jacinto Intermediate placed third.
The People’s Choice Award went to Jackson Intermediate School for their theme which combined some of the more popular Dr. Seuss characters such as The Lorax, Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2.
“While fun, the main objective of the event was to encourage learning, teamwork and family engagement,” Villano said.
