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Peabody High culinary student Marianna Pinot-Gomez puts a tray of Jay's Cookies on a rack before baking them. (Spenser Hasak) Purchase this photo

The secret ingredient in Peabody? Kindness.

Amanda Lurey

by

PEABODY — As the aroma of sweet, chocolate goodness filled the Peabody Veterans Memorial High School Culinary Arts kitchen Monday morning, one thing was certain: Jason Bernard really, truly was a top-notch cookie-maker.

Jason, 14, died by suicide last May due to bullying, and his chocolate chip cookie recipe is now being used to spread positivity throughout PVMHS.

The Jason Legacy Foundation, alongside Peabody PROMISE and Peabody Public Schools, has created Jay’s Cookies: A Recipe for Kindness. This event emphasizes Jason’s love of baking while enforcing the importance of kindness.

Last week, PVMHS students were able to place orders for a $1 cookie to be sent to a friend with one of four message options: “You’re Appreciated,” “Be the Reason Someone Smiles Today,” “In a World Where You Can Be Anything, Be Kind,” and “Kindness is Free, Pass It On.”

This week, PVMHS students will receive their cookies. Culinary Instructor Bryan Jalbert said there were 250 orders submitted, but the culinary students will be baking 400 total to ensure there’s enough to go around.

PVMHS sophomore Ryan Morabito mentioned that it was important to him to confer with Jason’s friends to guarantee that the cookies tasted like Jason’s — and even looked like his, too.

“They were so happy,” Morabito said. “I had my friend, who was best friends with Jason, taste it, and she was tearing up because of how good it was… It shows me that we can make people happy with food. It’s like love. We put our love into this food. We put our time and effort into it, and it just makes me so happy to deliver this to people.”

PVMHS sophomore Jahnselyz Claudio Vasquez shared that her personal experiences enduring bullying throughout her school years, mostly at Higgins Middle School, made baking cookies with Jason’s recipe extra meaningful. For her, what matters is “the fact that we get to show his mom about what we’re doing for her son, and that everybody gets to taste his cookies.”

Cely Rosario, Jason’s sister, said she’s looking forward to seeing the impact of Jay’s Cookies: A Recipe for Kindness.

“It’s not just about the cookies — it’s about the message behind them,” Rosario said. “Knowing that each one represents kindness, connection, and remembrance… I’m excited to see how far that reaches and how people receive it.”

She felt her brother’s presence in the kitchen Monday morning, which reminded her that “even though he’s not physically here, he hasn’t left us.” Rosario said seeing the students bake Jason’s cookies “with so much heart makes it feel like his spirit is still very much alive in what we’re doing.”

“This morning was emotional, but in a really beautiful way,” Rosario continued. “There was a sense of purpose in the air. Seeing everything come together, knowing what it represents, it just felt meaningful. It’s one of those moments where the sadness is there, but so is pride and love.”

Rosario added that she thinks Jason would have absolutely loved that his recipe is being used as a vehicle to remember him.

“Jason had such a big heart, and baking was something that made him happy,” Rosario shared. “The idea that something he loved is now bringing people together and spreading kindness — I think he’d be smiling about that.”

The hope behind Jay’s Cookies: A Recipe for Kindness is for it to become a spring staple that the community looks forward to each year.

“I want it to become a tradition that continues to spread kindness, bring people together, and keep Jason’s memory alive in a positive and impactful way,” Rosario said. “This is bigger than one day or one event. It’s about creating a movement rooted in kindness, awareness, and connection. If we can inspire even a few people to be a little kinder because of this, then we’re already making a difference.”

  • Amanda Lurey has been a news reporter for The Daily Item since February 2025 when she moved to Massachusetts from Oregon. Amanda is originally from Los Angeles, but she is passionate about traveling and seeing all that the world has to offer. She’s been to five continents so far, most recently checking Antarctica off her list, and she is also well known for being an animal lover at heart.

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