At 12:05 p.m. on a Tuesday, Archer’s campus is usually a setting for students to eat lunch, socialize and catch up on homework. However, the Girls Empowering Girls Club added another aspect: cookie decorating.
GEG hosted a Valentine’s Day-themed cookie decorating station Tuesday, Feb.13, in the courtyard. While some may see cookie decorating as a small event, GEG Executive Board member Katie Borris (’25) said she and the rest of the Executive Board had a deeper meaning to the event.
According to Borris, the purpose of the event was to celebrate Archer’s values of female empowerment and to create a space for sharing love with friends.
Borris said she and her peers were inspired by prior student-led events, such as Winter Wonderland, and seeing other students taking the initiative to host events was influential to their process.
“[Winter Wonderland] is one of our favorite events — we just wanted to bring it back in a new form,” Borris said.
GEG faculty adviser Beth Gold said she is continuously impressed by the initiative GEG members exhibit throughout the year.
“The four leaders this year are doing all of the actual coming up with ideas and planning the events,” Gold said. “My role is just to help them get organized.”
Gold said, aside from GEG’s main goal to build community this year, they also aim to spread positivity and bring more joy to students’ lives. Freshman Cristina Williams said the Galentine’s event was an opportunity for her to connect with her friends.
“The event was really good — we were just waiting in line and dancing to the music and getting our cookies,” Williams said. “We were all really happy.”
During the Galentine’s event, Dance Company and Dance Troupe performers initiated a flash mob separate from GEG festivities. The goal of their sudden appearance was to get students excited for Night of Dance, which will take place Feb. 24 and 25.
Williams said she was pleasantly surprised by the performance. She said it added to the fun at the event despite the dancers’ technical difficulties.
“It was unfortunate that the music cut out, but I think the performance was great,” Williams said.
Junior Cheyenne Pitcher said said getting to make cookies with her friends was a bonding experience she didn’t realize she needed.
“I really liked how we were able to come together as a community and bond over something so little like making cookies,” Pitcher said. “I think it was a really fun activity to get everyone together.”
