Joe Schlender’s Cupcakes for a Cause: Success

Cupcakes of all kinds. Cupcakes galore, as far as the eye can see. On Saturday, May 16, Conant held its third Cupcakes for a Cause event. This was the first year that it was named after Joe Schlender, the fourth principal of Conant. The event was a success with plenty of cupcakes, activities and games, and hundreds of people from the community.

The event was brought together by a variety of people. David Moravek(social studies), Corey Olsen(special education), John Jonen(special education), and Robert Small(administration) were a large part of pulling the whole extravaganza together. They all worked with a committee of students and teachers to plan the event. This included marketing, fundraising, cupcake decorating, organizing entertainment and food for the event, and creating raffle baskets. Student Council, NHS, Art Club, Freshman Class Council, Sophomore Class Council, JV girls softball, and Conant Pals Club were also present on the day of the event to help out. Two of the social science survey classes also helped prepare the cafeteria the night before. Student Council came on Friday night and Saturday morning to help decorate and set up the cupcakes too.

Jonen was very happy with the turnout of the event and said, “It’s awesome how every student is getting involved. On Friday, there were so many things going on in the building, it was one of the busiest nights we’ve had. Even students who weren’t helping were helping.”

The Cupcakes for a Cause event, which has been at Conant for 3 years now, is a way to give back to the community. The proceeds from this event all go towards helping the Kenneth Young Center, which helps to support our Operation Snowball event and provide low cost counseling to families and adolescents; Autism Society of Illinois, which supports families with autism by providing education, training and individual assistance; and Cougars in Need, which provides support for Conant families that may need financial assistance.

As mentioned above, this is the first year the event has been named after Joe Schlender, a former principal of Conant. Schlender was an extremely dedicated principal who believed strongly in Cougar Pride and giving back to the community. He was known for being very welcoming and treating everyone like they were a part of his family.

The event itself included fantastic performances, activities, raffles, and of course, cupcakes. 2015 Mr. Cougar, Chandler Lantern, emceed the event. Lantern explained, “I’m just here to help out and make this event a success. I was here my sophomore and junior year, and it was plenty of fun.”

Principal Julie Nowak attended the event with her family and said,”This is an inspiring event and it’s amazing how it brings the whole community together.” She also bought plenty of cupcakes.

Conant Charrelles and Orchesis gave excellent performances on stage. The Conant Charrelles did a unique performance to the song “Shake It Off” with a few of our community’s toddlers, while two of the Orchesis girls performed a duet dance piece. Senior Kelly Wargo sang the song “See You Again” and Conant Alum Andre Serbia played his guitar for the audience. Other performances consisted of piano,  guitar,  singing, and even a band!

The Conant Art Club created a station for face painting, picture frames, and a photo booth. FCC and SCC created a booth where they held a hula hoop contest and made sun visors for kids. Also adding to the fun were balloon animals, carpet ball, CHFS hockey, and Riya Shah, who set up her own shop of pretty anklets and bracelets. Members of NHS helped sell tickets and t-shirts for the event.

The event even included a raffle with over 20 different prizes. Prizes included a summer basket, a Cougar Crazy basket, a cupcake basket, a princess basket, a baking basket, a boys basket, a Vera Bradley bag, a Weber Grill, a tennis/garden basket, an audio package, and plenty more.

There were so many different kinds of cupcakes at the event that people didn’t know which ones to choose from! Flavors included vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate cupcakes. But there were also fancier ones like red velvet cupcakes, ribbon cupcakes, ninja turtle cupcakes, ice cream cone cupcakes, caterpillar cupcakes, minion cupcakes, and countless others. All of these cupcakes were hand baked and frosted the night before by the Student Council and other members of the community. Whole Foods also pitched in by donating jumbo cupcakes. Cupcakes were sold at 1 for $2.

Though the event has only been at Conant for three years, it is projected that it will continue for a long time. Cupcakes for a Cause is a chance for Cougars to give back to the community and help those in need. The event makes us be proud to be Cougars.

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