Superintendent’s Spotlight: Mialynn Salaman

Mialynn Salaman is a Portrait of a Graduate, in and out of school. In school, she loves her Home and Careers class and math is her favorite subject. Outside of school, she applies all of the skills she learns at school to help her mom with her business, a bakery called Shorte and Sweet, which sells cupcakes and cookies, and has volunteered at school and community events. 

Mia, who is in the fifth grade (and has been helping her mom since she was in third) is always ready to lend a hand with grocery shopping, setting up the bakery’s tent/vendor booth, and clean-up. Using the math and communication skills she learned in school, and applying some of what she’s learned as a Girl Scout, Mia handles all of those duties and even fills customer orders. 

Mia is a big help in that regard, often taking orders and ensuring they are filled correctly for each customer. In fact, it’s her favorite part of the job.

“I like taking orders and packing them up and giving them to people,” she said.

Shorte and Sweet operates out of a licensed kitchen, so although Mia doesn’t help bake, she is the enterprise’s certified taster. She said some of their best selling cupcake flavors are carrot, chocolate and red velvet. 

“My favorite is the carrot,” she said, and added that she also helps brainstorm new flavors. “I came up with the donut flavor. And, I know we have pumpkin (for the holidays). That one’s good too!”

As Mia explained her role with her mom’s business, she told us that this is not her first rodeo, 

“I started doing this in third grade,” she explained. 

As a Girl Scout, she is learning about communicating and collaborating with others.

“I could definitely say that Mia reflects our Portrait of a Graduate in the ways she helps her mom and their business, like being a communicator and collaborator,” said WVMS principal Jared Yapkowitz. “Even lifelong learning, in terms of working outside of the school day, learning additional skills that build on those she’s already developed.”

Mr. Yapkowitz shared a technique he learned for eating cupcakes. 

“I break the bottom off and then put the bottom on top of the frosting, so I’m eating the cupcake like a sandwich. Have you ever tried it like that?” 

With a laugh, Mia said that she had not, but that exploring new foods has been one of her favorite parts of her first year of middle school. 

“My favorite part is that there are better options for food,” she said, and added that she feels her favorite subjects are really setting her up to have an even bigger role in her family business. 

“When I do Home and Careers, that would work out because maybe I can start helping (my mom) bake,” said Mia. And she has a vision for her future down the road. Mia has aspirations to open a similar business of her own one day, and she already knows that learning is the path to get there. 

“I would have to start baking more and trying different things,” she said. “And, I would need my math skills to do the counting of money and stuff like that.”