Freshmen Participate in Grade Bake-Off

by Hannah Fineman, SSLI '25

As the rest of the high school was settling back into classes after the break, the freshmen class was engulfed by an intense baking competition. Yesterday, during lunch, the freshmen held a taste test for a bake-off they prepared before the break.

Yoni Pedram, a freshman, explained that this competition started based on an argument in the grade group chat over who was the best baker in the grade. One of Pedram’s peers, Ephraim Berman, took the initiative in solving this disagreement by suggesting that the grade have a bake-off to determine the true best baker. 

Berman helped set up the event. He explained, “I got the people who wanted to bake, and with the help of Madison and Brielle, I got some teachers.” With the addition of the faculty as judges, the bake-off became an official contest. Berman gratefully pointed out that “the teachers took little to no convincing.”

Madison Hoffman, one of the organizers of the event, shared, “All of the contestants made desserts, and we had a panel of teachers judge. Those teachers were Miss Pizzonia, Miss DeLaire, Mr. Thorgersen, Joan, and Mr. Wilen.”

The freshmen really enjoyed their grade bake-off! (S. Barak)

“Madison and I were the ‘hosts’ of the competition,” said Levenson. “We were like game show hosts, running into the classroom with exciting music, and formally welcoming the teacher-judges to the competition. It was lots of fun to see the different reactions of the teachers when they tasted the desserts, since they all took it so seriously and were thoughtful with their opinions.”

Pedram shared that his favorite part of the bake-off was getting to eat the cookies. In agreement, Levenson said, “My favorite part of the contest was being able to try some of the desserts that people made. Brielle made scones, Sara made sugar cookies with a powdered sugar topping, Ephraim and Adira made blondies, and Penina made chocolate chip cookies. It was cool to see the different ideas my friends had for this contest.”

The freshmen presented their creations to the teachers. (S. Barak) 

“It allowed us to get closer through the planning process and to all do something together,” explained Hoffman. “We all had so much fun that we plan on making this an annual thing. I think that having a winner also made it better by having it be competitive. It was nice having teachers and that they got to be a part of it, too.”

Berman explained, “After our baking competition, I’d say we’re closer because we now don’t care to have a friendly competition with each other. It wasn’t a problem before, but it definitely won’t be now.” Berman continued, “We also are closer to the teachers.”

Berman shared his favorite part of the bake-off: “I got to bake with my sister for the competition, so the best part for me was coming in second place.” Berman concluded, “Next year, we won’t come in any place besides first.”

Hannah Fineman is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since November 2021. Hannah is currently a junior at the Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: hfineman25@schechterli.org