by Kay Kim, staff reporter
Red roses and beating hearts are twinkling in the air during the short month of February. Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and dance tickets are going on sale. Each ticket includes a free slice of pizza, a drink, and some chips. The hired DJ will shuffle music on his professional mixer for the dancers. It is guaranteed that there has never been any other school dance as good as this one.
The school has many fundraising events and opportunities throughout the course of a year. Some fundraisers are for outside organizations, while some are for the benefit of the school.
Many students and staff question the school’s use of the money that is earned from various fundraisers, many people believe it goes “up in the sky.”
“I think the money is used to buy security cameras, smartboards, and new technology. I see more and more security cameras and new laptops,” junior Sophie Chianese said.
Two years ago, the school won $500 when Alyssa Striano won a t-shirt design contest, to raise anti-bullying awareness. The money was used to hire a new music teacher for the school’s Glee Club.
“That [hiring a new music teacher] actually happened. It was a one time vocal coach. He coached us for one or two months and we performed at the Spring Showcase. It was worth it because after the vocal coach, Mr. VanDeurs got ideas from the coach. He already knew what he was doing, but he got the ball rolling,” senior Alyssa Striano said.
The Do Something Club holds various fundraisers for many different causes. There are one-time fundraisers, while there also are some that are done on an annual basis. For example, the Autism Walk in March has become an annual fundraiser held by the club, where they sell puzzle pieces for $1 and take donations.
Ms. Douvres and the Greek Club profit from the talent show that they host in December. Tickets are sold for $10 each.
“The Greek Club makes on average $200 from the winter talent show. Most of that money goes to our fundraiser in the spring which we team up with the Do Something Club. I keep around $50 to have for the following school year and use it towards the talent show if we need to purchase decorations, supplies, and props. Ms. Pepe does an excellent job keeping track for the Greek Club,” Greek Club faculty advisor Ms. Douvres said.
Another way to fundraise while raising school spirit is through school dances. There is at least one school dance during the year, whether it is in the winter or the spring. Prices of the tickets differ, depending on the type of dance. The tradition for the school’s ticket sales is to charge more at the door, if a ticket has not been purchased beforehand. This helps to make more profit, as there are people that do want to go to the dance at the last minute.
The school store sells snacks and drinks for $1 during lunch and after school. They have also sold uniform shirts. Last year, they sold long sleeve shirts for $10. This year, they are selling the school’s’ 10th year anniversary hoodies for $25.
“Profit from the school store goes back to the school store to buy more items. The leftover money goes back into the school. We help the Do Something Club with their fundraisers to allow them to reach their goal. It also goes back to events, such as the Haunted Hallway and decorations for dances. Basically, the money mostly goes to events and billing,” school store manager Christina Maldonado said.
Another fundraiser includes the Junior Prom. It is a dance held my by a group of juniors called, the Junior MORP Committee, to raise money for their senior trip and prom.
Ms. Pepe, the school’s business manager, explained the money situation in the school. All the money that is raised is recorded into checking accounts, for all the cash serves a purpose. All the money that is earned is used to benefit various causes, clubs, events, etc…
“School store- they sell, but yea, they buy. What they take in is what they use,” the school’s business manager Ms. Pepe said.
The school store sells snacks, but at the same time, they must buy the snacks to sell them, leaving them with not much in return.
As for the Do Something Club, the profit is a turnover. They raise money for outside organizations, so the money usually never comes back to the school.
“It [leftover money] is used for [different things] depending on the situation. I’ve used it for senior dues. Senior dues don’t cover everything. The senior barbeque is about $7,000 and you’ve got to tip them, so that’s about $10,000 already. Whatever is leftover goes to graduation,” Ms. Pepe said.
Upon revealing the behind story about the school’s expenses, students have expressed mixed feelings.
“I didn’t realize that so much money goes to the students. It probably goes to the seniors, not the younger students. I guess I understand why the seniors get more [money], but I wish all the students get equally represented,” Chianese said.
All the money that various clubs earn does not actually go up in the sky. It comes back to the students in the form of school events.
