In The Classroom:

A group of 11 sixth-grade girls at Newport Heights Elementary has decided to give back to their school before they go on to seventh grade. Their medium? Thousands and thousands of cookies.

The girls of the Students Thinking About Youth (STAY) club spend their spare time baking at one another’s homes, then bring the sweet treats to bake sales after school and at sporting events.

“It’s really fun because we all get to hang out while we make cookies,” said Kate Hefner, 12.

Each girl has her own responsibility, including cash management and trash collection. Baylee Bakkila, 11, started a club blog at stay4alifetime.blogspot.com that lists their next sale dates.

The girls have learned a lot about running a business, they said. Their goal is to raise $1,000 to benefit their school library; the girls are nearly halfway to their objective, accounting for expenses. They say the school library doesn’t have enough options for older kids, so they hope their funds will go toward books like “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. They also hope to buy a permanent recycling bin for the campus.

“We’re thinking of passing on the group to the next generation of sixth-graders,” said JoJo Stassel, 12.

The students prepare several varieties of cookies, including chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and oatmeal raisin.

“We really try to give everybody what they want,” said Gigi Woodall, 11.

The club also sells cookie dough in flavors like molasses crinkle and cranberry/white chocolate/oatmeal. Another popular choice is Gotta Have It, which is loaded with oatmeal, coconut, pecans, and chocolate and butterscotch chips.

The club’s motto is “STAY for a lifetime.” Likewise, their experiences may impact the girls for a lifetime.

Kate said she watches cooking shows. Bailee says her fallback, if she doesn’t become a professional tennis player, is to open a bakery.

“We can all run it together!” the tight-knit group of girls, hopping with excitement, concluded.