The Iola USD 257 Board of Education on Monday heard a detailed update on two rapidly growing student-led businesses at Iola High School: Mustang Threads, an embroidery and apparel venture, and Mustang Bakes, a culinary internship focused on custom pastries and printed cookies.
Both programs launched this school year through the Career & Technical Education (CTE) and Family & Consumer Sciences (FACS) departments.
FACS instructor Breanna Floyd told board members that the student enterprises are fresh off the ground, only four to five months into operation, yet already gaining momentum. Mustang Threads’ social media presence, she noted, has grown quickly after early pop-up sales. “We already have over 86 followers,” she said, crediting student-led promotions.
Floyd said students are learning an array of real-world business skills — budgeting, brand development, visual merchandising, marketing, and the technically challenging embroidery software.
Production time is another challenge. Many garments take up to 25 minutes each on the embroidery machines, which limits what students can complete within 50-minute class periods. Even so, students have expanded their product line to hats, T-shirts, and new sweatshirt designs, with more merchandise planned for upcoming basketball games and homecoming.
A Santa face is printed on a cookie during the demonstration.Photo by Sarah Haney / Iola Register
LOOKING AHEAD, Floyd outlined ambitions for a website, increased event presence, and possibly a small storefront accessible to the public on select days. She noted that the demand is already outpacing current capacity.
The board also heard from Sarah Ross, the first student intern running Mustang Bakes. Ross has taken the reins of the baking business — from budgeting and recipe pricing to marketing, design work, and managing custom orders. She described learning budgeting and management, along with specialized baking skills such as making royal icing and food printing.
Ross has already completed multiple cookie and pastry orders, often selling out within minutes when items are offered to staff.
Floyd noted that Ross handles all invoicing and communication, adding that she has quickly mastered both the baking and the technology.
Board members were shown examples of Mustang Bakes products, including “paint your own” holiday cookie kits that sold out in under two hours, and printed cookies created with an edible-ink food printer.
The holiday kits include a cookie, edible paint palette, paint brush, and instructions for $5.
Sarah Ross, Mustang Bakes intern, demonstrates the cookie printing process during Monday evening’s board of education meeting.Photo by Sarah Haney / Iola Register
Ross demonstrated the cookie printing process, which included aligning cookies in circular and square trays and then using design software that ensures images print at the correct size. The full process takes multiple days due to baking, icing, drying, and print-setting times. The printing itself takes only a matter of seconds.
Mustang Bakes has also drawn repeat business from a local company. A recent customer review from Simple Soiree praised the program, saying Ross “created the perfect custom cookies” and that each order “gets better and better.”
Cost and materials were discussed with board members as well. Floyd estimated each cookie costs a little more than $1 to produce, depending on shape and design. Ink cartridges last a long time, with the current one still at 80% capacity.
When asked about future goals, Ross said she hopes to expand into cupcakes and cakes, though high cookie demand has limited her time to experiment. Floyd added that additional student interest next year could help broaden the offerings.
USD 257 Board of Education President Jen Taylor passes around cookies that were baked, with printed icing, for the board. Photo by Sarah Haney / Iola Register
IN OTHER NEWS, Superintendent Stacey Fager brought forward a recommendation for the district to purchase property located at 220 N. Colburn for $40,000. He explained that the seller would cover all closing costs and that the opportunity aligned with long-standing board goals related to strategic property acquisition.
Dining and Cooking