New club is “icing on the cake”

The proper decorating tip is secured, a deep breath is taken, and light pressure is applied to the bag of icing that could create so many things with just the squeeze of a hand. Anticipation builds just before looking at the creation on top of the cake, and a smile of pride and happiness appears.  This is an ordinary day in the life of a student in the new cake decorating club at Big Spring High School.

On Mondays during Flex, students meet in room 219 to learn how to decorate cakes in many different styles and designs. Judith Mislitski, the teacher in charge of this new club,  says that the cake decorating club is a “practical application of what the students learn in the art room.” When students arrive on Mondays, a cake is already waiting for each one of them to be decorated. Then, over lunch A and B, Mislitski demonstrates that day’s technique on a larger cake that is then raffled off to the faculty,  and the students mimic her movements on their own cakes.   The process is gone-through step-by-step, and the cakes slowly come alive as things like pink, blue, or yellow icing roses are added to them. After they are all finished, the cakes are wrapped up and the students get to take home their creations.

Although Mislitski does most of the preparation before the extracurricular meets on Mondays, volleyball player and cake decorating club member Madison Gutshall said that they all must “do their part.” Club members are asked to bring in certain “Wish List” items like cake mix twice a year. Until recently, Mislitski has covered the cost of supplies for the club and baked the cakes herself. To raise money for the needed supplies, Mislitski’s demonstration cake is raffled off to the faculty. Teachers Susan Traylor and Megan Anderson have both recently won cakes decorated by the club. In addition to teachers winning cakes, English teacher Bethany Pagze decorated cupcakes to look like sunflowers with the cake decorating club. Pagze said it was “more difficult than I thought it would be. It was really interesting. The club itself is very nice in the way Ms. M runs it.” As to the cupcake itself, Pagze said it was “delicious.”

Students such as Megan Stambaugh and Sarah Walters really enjoy the club. Walters said, “You can kind of see what Ms. M did when she was younger. It’s really interesting to see her go back into the past and enjoy herself as she’s decorating cakes.”  Interestingly enough, this club is attracting football players as well as your classic art students. Donavan Howell, football player and art student, is just one of the three football players  in the club. As to why he initially wanted to join, Howell said, “Well, Ms. M is the teacher, and I love Ms. M…it’s actually a good use of our art skills.”

The cake decorating club was started as a spur-of-the-moment thing when one of Mislitski’s students approached her about how to decorate cakes, and, believe it or not, it already has a waiting list of over fifteen people. However, if students still want to join, a new roster for the club will be started in December and the only prerequisite is Drawing and Painting I.