A Little Box of Birthday Magic

Birthdays are always something special to celebrate- especially for a young child. Thanks to a generous, anonymous donor, every Arcadia Elementary student will now have the chance to celebrate their day with a homemade birthday cake. This donor is doing exactly that by providing these kits. 

Inside each kit, students are given a cake mix, a container of frosting, candles, a can of soda, and a disposable pan to bake the cake in: all of the ingredients for celebrating a birthday, and making memories that will last forever. 

The idea came from Sonnentag's wife, Hillary after she had seen a similar initiative and was inspired to bring the same joy to students at Arcadia Elementary. She reached out to the donors, who were eager about the project, and together they brought the idea to life, creating 36 kits ready to go to a child celebrating their special day. “School has only been in session for  two weeks, and we have already given out two cakes this year”, says Sonnentag. 

Teachers were notified of the cake donation and were able to spread the word through Class Dojo, a platform for school-to-home communication. When a child's birthday is nearing, interested parents are able to send a quick message to the teacher to request a kit, which will then be sent home. 

To some, this may seem like a small gesture, but to others, this makes a big impact. Mackenzie Halverson, a Second Grade Teacher, noted, “It's really exciting to see families reach out and feel comfortable doing so”. This positive experience in the school brings not only joy to the students and staff, but also to the parents. Halverson also realized that the post about the cake announcement received the most attention compared to other general announcements on the Class Dojo. 

While these kits leave the school as ingredients, they are baked into something so much beyond a cake. The kits give opportunities for families to make memories and strengthen their connection. Families are baking and celebrating together, something they might not have been able to do otherwise. ~ Kennedy Ziegeweid Arcadia High School