Story by Esther Urbina Martinez and Lizzie Wesson

Last Friday, DHS students celebrated Cupcake Day, a known tradition within the school in which students bring in cupcakes and have a time to share with the community. 

Many students, such as Clancy Maier, a Junior, said it’s a long-standing tradition that brings students and staff alike together. “It’s a great bonding moment for all students,” said Maier.

However, it’s important to know why exactly we do this tradition. Back in 2014, when DHS was starting as a school, a young counselor named Margaret Daniels, otherwise known as ‘Maggie’ by peers and students, passed away tragically.

This deeply impacted the community because Daniels was a well-known figure within the community, with many noting she was the “life of the party,” as DHS secretary Nichole Sigmon said.

Before becoming a counselor, Maggie was an English teacher at Newton-Conover High School, with the occasional position as assistant coach for the girls’ basketball team, where she worked alongside DHS’s principal, Shane Whitener, on coaching the team. “She was very easygoing and full of life,” said Whitener. 

One teacher, Geoff Crosson, a friend and co-worker of Maggie’s, shared a memory they had before her tragic death: “I remember sitting on the gym floor once, counting ballots for senate and laughing about the amount of votes,” said Crosson. 

Other sources note she was an amazing teacher and great counselor, who always cared for the students first and foremost. “She had a special connection with the seniors,” said Crosson, reminiscent of the dear counselor. 

“Cupcakes were her favorite dessert,” explained one student, Zoe Crosson, a member of Student Senate, during Cupcake Day, noting that the celebration is also held around the same time as her birthday, September 3rd. 

Maggie Daniels was only thirty-one when she died on June 27th, 2014, but DHS continues to carry on her memory alive by celebrating this special tradition.

This year, we had a total of 1,338 cupcakes, and as everyone enjoyed the time of community, we interviewed a few students about their own experiences and personal memories surrounding Cupcake Day.

Ryan Scarbrough, a sophomore, stated that his first year was a lot of fun and that he wants the tradition to continue. “My first cupcake day was really fun, and I like to think we should remember what and who cupcake day is about as well,” said Scarbrough. 

Another sophomore, Bailey Elrod, stated that she was grateful for cupcake day: “We should definitely enjoy it and remember that we, as a school, are very lucky to be a part of this,” Elrod said.

We also had a few seniors share their favorite moments from past years, like Anthony Giometti, who said, “My favorite memory was when I dressed up as a chef last year and the time I ate five cupcakes,”. 

Another senior, Kaitlyn Yang, noted she’ll be reminiscent of the tradition. “It’s really bittersweet, and I’m kinda sad it’s ending for me since I am a senior,” said Yang.

As the years progress and we continue moving forward, we continue this tradition just as we keep Maggie’s memory alive, uniting the community as she once did.