Hi everyone,
I volunteered to make the cake for my daughter's 5th grade promotion ceremony next week. There are 55 kids, plus parents/siblings and, of course, faculty. I was hyperventilating at the thought of my first huge cake--this has to serve about 150 people and the biggest one I ever did served 80--until I remembered that there will be other treats there. ANYWAY . . .

What I'm envisioning is two sheet cakes, or a sheet cake and then a smaller oblong cake. One of those cakes needs to be raised higher than the other to make staggered tiers; is there a stand of some sort for, say, a half sheet cake that I can buy/borrow somewhere?

On the lower cake I hope to put a staircase with six steps on it, leading from the lower cake to the upper cake. On each step, going from the bottom up, I want to put pictures of my daughter and a couple of her classmates from each year from kindergarten through fifth. Each step is a different grade. Any ideas where I can find a ready-made six-step staircase, or should I make my own? If I need to make one, how? Then I need to come up with some sort of inspirational saying (it's a Christian school) that is meaningful but not too cheesy. Any ideas?

Anyway, do you think this design will work? I need to deliver it next Wednesday, the 9th, by 10 AM. I'm not a licensed professional baker, just a mom who loves to bake and loves her daughter even more and is very proud of her.

Thanks,
Nicki

Man, I must be old! They really have "graduation" ceremonies for 5th graders these days?

I like your idea but I don't think it will be fair to the other classmates to only feature a few of the students since the celebration is for all.

something that sounds cheesy to me, but i also like is a message with the effect of "moving to the next step" with your stairs theme.

Debi, it's called a promotion ceremony and I have never seen one for 5th grade before. I'm just as surprised as you, but it looks like it's going to be very nice--no caps and gowns but lots of speeches and presentations of some sort.

Myslady, if I could put a picture from each child I'd end up with a leviathan-sized cake. I'll have to give it some thought, but you bring up a good point.

Thanks, ladies!

--Nicki

My first instinct was the same as myslady's about the pictures of certain students only. The general design sounds great, but perhaps full class pictures from each of the last few years instead? Or quotes from something like Oh The Places You'll Go?