Howard-Winneshiek Seventh Graders Prove Leadership, Learning go hand-in-hand
Thu, 10/30/2025 - 2:54pm
admin
By:
Holly O'Brien
CRESCO - Seventh graders in the Cadet Pathways class at Howard-Winneshiek are proving that leadership and learning go hand in hand and sometimes come with a little frosting on top.As part of their Community Service Project, the students connected what they’ve been learning in class about careers, teamwork, and community with a real-world opportunity to give back.
The Cadet Pathways course focuses on exploring how students’ personalities connect to future careers, understanding the 14 career clusters, and setting goals for high school and beyond. Their community project brought those lessons to life.
“Our Community Service Project was about matching a need in the community with something we’re passionate about,” the students explained. “It gave us the chance to make a difference while also practicing important skills like planning, communication, leadership, problem solving, and kindness.”
After brainstorming ideas through a roadmap activity, the class decided on hosting a bake sale and not just any bake sale. On October 10, during all school lunches, students sold the legendary Howard-Winn cinnamon rolls (topped with pink frosting in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month) and chocolate chip cookies.
The 7th graders took the lead on every step of the project. They created flyers to hang around the school to promote the sale and even went live on Cadet Zone, the school’s broadcast channel, to share their event and encourage classmates to participate. They also partnered with the Howard-Winn kitchen staff, rolling up their sleeves to help bake and frost all the goodies themselves. This proved firsthand what teamwork, time management, and collaboration really look like.
Taking their project a step further, the students convinced both the middle school and high school principals to allow a “Pink-Out” dress-up day in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. Many students and staff joined the cause by dressing in pink, showing school spirit and solidarity. To make it even sweeter, the 7th graders awarded the top two best-dressed middle school students during lunch with a free cinnamon roll.
The sweet treats and school spirit paid off. With overwhelming support from classmates and staff the students raised $580.50. All being donated to HoCA (Howard County’s Cancer Association), an organization that supports local individuals and families affected by cancer.
