Encompassing a chilled atmosphere, the Class of 2026 board and Student Activities kicked off Gables’ juniors’ first treat-day with frosted desserts for Cavaliers to enjoy. In the auditorium on Sept. 26, during first and second lunch, juniors relished in nitrogen ice cream offered by Chill-N and its Gables employees. Bringing in a popular spot among Cavaliers from Cocunut Groves to campus, the juniors’ treat day special was a first time occurrence that set the precedent for new and loved reward ideas.
“My favorite part of treat day was the ice cream. I love Chill-N and was so excited to have it at school. My experience of treat day was good, I liked the set up of the auditorium, it was a nice area for treat day that had an energetic environment,” junior Adriana Muñoz said.
As the crowd of juniors began to flow in during first lunch, students who dressed in uniform and met their class fundraising requirements were admitted. At the beginning of the school year, juniors were given two options for fundraising: selling three bundt cakes or donating $40. These funds support future junior class events, such as class trips and college tours.
Students who work at Chill-N greeted juniors, scooping up and serving their vanilla or Nutella-flavored ice cream. At the toppings station, Student Activities members scooped out a variety of toppings to finish the cold dessert: crushed oreos, whipped cream, chocolate and rainbow sprinkles.
“As someone who works for Chill-N finding out that treat day was going to be for Chill-N excited me because I love working at my job. I was one of the people in charge of making the ice cream for treat day. That involved me going to work in Coconut Grove and actually making the ice cream that you could see us serving in the tubs on that day. It took hours on end just to make one tub since we make everything from scratch and we freeze it all with nitrogen after. So it took a lot of work but in the end, I know that it made a lot of people happy and I’m glad I got to spread positivity in my community,” junior Samatha Gonzalez said.
In the time between the lunches, Student Activities members took the ice cream tubs back up to the freezer to prevent melting and preserve the creamy texture of the juniors’ treat. Maintaining their spirited mood during second lunch, juniors waited in line, anticipating their sweet treats. As Cavaliers caught up at lunch, they dug into their Chill-N ice cream.
“I for sure enjoyed the treat, the ice cream was delicious. It was quick and easy to get my ice cream and the amount of toppings was varied and a nice detail. I got vanilla ice cream with Oreos and whipped cream. I look forward to other treat days and the snacks that they’ll come up with,” junior Abril Lettieres said.
Treat days work to serve as an entertaining way to recognize Cavaliers’ dedication, while encouraging students to fundraise and become involved. Leaving them with a sweet taste of future treat days, the Class of 2026 can expect more delectable goodies to come.
“Basically [the manager and I] were talking about it prior to treat day. He was talking about marketing the company more and then when I found out treat day was coming up and we didn’t really have an idea for food I told him I could get some ice cream and I’d promote Chill-N at [Coral Gables Senior High] and that’s where the idea started. Overall, the goal of treat day is for juniors to be rewarded for their work,” junior Cooper Piedra said.
