Sweet deal for Fairmount voters: A chance to support their local school

After choosing their candidates, voters in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia have more options to pick from Tuesday: muffins, cupcakes or banana bread.

Parents in that neighborhood are taking advantage of Election Day foot traffic to raise money for their local school.

Located at 22nd and Brown, Bache Martin is right in the heart of Fairmount. The home and school association wants it to be on the minds of Fairmount parents, as a school choice for their kids.

Tuesday’s bake sale is about raising money for the pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade school to, for example, fund a structured play program for recess called “Play Works.”

“It’s all about making recess fun, inclusive and safe, and helping to develop leadership and conflict resolution skills,” explained Nina Liou, president of the home and school association. “It’s half funded, but the other half needs to be raised by the school. It’s up to us as the home and school association to figure out creative ways to raise the money and keep it here at our school.”

Liou added that the bake sale is also about showcasing strong parent investment in this school, which traditionally has not attracted kids from the neighborhood.

“A lot of people have never been inside the school,” said Liou. “They say, ‘I’m not sure what this is, and what’s going on there.’ This is about having us be a welcoming face to say, ‘Hey, come on in, check us out.'”

Liou says growing numbers of kids from the neighborhood are enrolled at Bache Martin, and the home and school association also helps support music and arts enrichment programs.