Slipping on her quilted mitts, she carefully reaches into the oven and pulls out a tray of fresh chocolate chip cookies. The sweet aroma wafts around the room as she places the tray on the rack to cool. Only moments later does she steal one from the dozen, taking a warm bite and smiling as she chews.

Junior Kayla Sherman knew she wanted to start something related to baking, but it was only this year that she made her dream come true. Sherman created Sweets for Smiles, a club where members make treats for charitable causes.

“I’ve loved baking since I was little,” Sherman said. “I had the idea my freshman year to do a baking club, and at the end of tenth grade I finally decided to make it happen.”

Advised by math teacher Janet Manning, Sherman and junior Sophie Pedersen are the leaders of the club. The two came up with the name of the club based on the idea that dessert makes people smile.

“We think that desserts are a happy thing. [When] you bring cookies, everybody’s happy and smiling,” Sherman said. “There’s just a kind of warm feeling.”

The club focuses on donating and fundraising. As often as possible, the club will bake and deliver pastries to benevolent causes, including Neighbor Brigade, Sunrise Senior Living and food pantries.

“I wanted to do more than just baking,” Sherman said. “I wanted to add a charitable aspect to the club.”

The club plans to prepare pastries that can be picked up with your hands, sticking to simple treats such as bars and cookies. Due to the lack of a student kitchen, members will most likely be broken apart into groups to bake with their friends, preparing the goods at the their own houses.

“We’re not going to have everyone in the same kitchen because that would be chaotic,” Sherman said.

The club will try to meet every other week, but the frequency may change depending on the leaders’ schedules.

“I know a lot of people have commitments on Wednesdays; even I have other clubs,” Sherman said. “A lot of clubs meet on Wednesdays every week, so if people can’t make it, we’ll be super flexible.”

By the end of the year, Sherman hopes the club runs smoothly and becomes part of the community.

“[The club] got a really positive response; a lot of people signed up at club fair,” Sherman said. “[By the end of the year], I hope we get the ball rolling, and we deliver sweets to a bunch of different places. I hope it becomes a solid club that’s well-known around the school.”