DECA cookies change in price and content, sales remain prosperous

Since 1992, the marketing and DECA department have been selling cookies to fund all of the student opportunities the program has to offer. This year, the prices of the cookies changed from one dollar for two cookies to two dollars for three cookies. In addition, the recipe of the cookies changed because marketing department heads Harry Gaylor and Something Wiles made the decision to meet federal nutritional guidelines.

The purpose of the sale of the cookies is “to finance the many opportunities that we try to offer for the students in the marketing program and the DECA Club,” Gaylor said. These opportunities include social activities, community service, leadership, professional development, conferences, competitions and trips.

The idea of selling cookies originated from DECA Nationals where Wiles visited a booth of potential fundraising tactics. “I pursued it with the administration,” Wiles said.

“A couple of the other teachers didn’t think it would happen,” said Gaylor. “Including you!” Wiles added. The idea ended up being a success, 24 years of it, to be exact.

When the campaign first started, many teachers worried about cookies being a classroom distraction. “Now cell phones are a classroom distraction, back then it was cookies,” Wiles said.

The reason that the price of the cookies was raised this year is because of distribution costs. “The cost of the product [was raised]. We either had to take away a cookie or increase the price,” explained Wiles.

“There has not been an outrage,” Gaylor said. “The whole project is an enterprise that Central marketing does to help [our] own students and at the same time provide something for all students.”

All in all, despite the change in price, a steady crowd of students continues to line up outside of room 325 to grab their daily fix of delicious cookies.