Booster Club - ideas for ways to support our students.

[Rhonda]

Hi, Janet, I'm still around.  Speaking of school we had a Booster Club meeting last night.  Does anyone have any ideas for ways to support our students.  Our booster club has been very inactive the last few years and we are trying to get it fired up again.  Any ideas anyone would care to share would be appreciated.  We are doing concessions at the rodeo to raise money.  We'd like to support our students not only in athletics but also in drama, scholars bowl, ffa, band, etc.  Basically show them that they're important!!!  Out of 208 letters that were sent out we had 9 parents show up for the meeting.  Not a strong showing, but we have faith that our numbers will grow.  Please share!!!

[Teresa]

Everything that I am going to address, was the rules back in 1991-1993... so if things have changed and I hope to heaven that they have.. then by all means set the record straight.

I was Booster Club president for a year when Danny was a junior in high school.... and I had several ideas to raise money but it seems that you come up against a huge wall sometimes in getting past the "administration" .. ( or we did back "when")
Also ... the classes could make lots more money for their senior trip and even be able to do some things out of the ordinary as far as school trips go.. BUT... once again, I came up against a road block..
It seems that  there was this stupid rule that each class could only have 2 fund raisers in a year.
That's right...
No extra car washes on Saturday.. no bake sales.. no going around washing windows or doing errands for the buisnesses to make class money...the junior class has lots of different ideas and the kids were willing to work at them too.
Nope..They were saying we  couldn't do any of those things.. and being the rebel redneck female I am, I balked big time.
I ask Why??...
The administration said to be..and I Quote.. " If one class has all of these fund raisers then that gives one class more money than another classes.. then it isn't fair to the other classes. So we limit each class  2 times to make money for their events."
I was in shock!

By doing this they were pulling the drive and energy of a class of juniors and seniors down to a "do nothing" level because of the lack of caring and drive from parts of other classes??!!?? I thought this was a land of free enterprise and ability. Apparently NOT in this school ..

Well, as you can imagine.. I was very very verbal and made no secret to them what I thought of their dumb system AND their dumb rules. ( it didn't make me too popular with some of the "chair setters"..)

I went as far as saying I would bake all the food myself.. and "I" would have a bake sale and donate the money to the seniors. They said I could not do that! That wasn't fair to the other kids in other classes...because the other classes wouldn't get part of that money.
I said," Then let the other classes have the opportunity to have their own sales and car washes etc...
No. They refused to listen to me...
AAAUUUGGHHHHH....
I finally considered the sources that I was dealing with.... threw up my hands and finished up my year and backed out.

You can't work with people who have no common sense and pride and drive. And who are intent on stuffing people in the same kind of bag, insisting that they be the same..on and  in the same level and if they try to do better or do something different... stomping the drive and life out of them.

If  the energy is still like that in the school system, then I am sure THAT is why things have fizzled out.
Whether it is Booster Club, Cheerleaders, FFA, Band or whatever you are trying to "change" and do something a bit on the different side..you will have to get peopel to take an active part and get excited and "physically do something" to change the way it is now.
You have a handful of "certain people" in the school system that runs the show.... and unless they are the ones that make the suggestions and  "approve" of everything.. then from my past experience..you will get zip.. nowhere.

Sorry I am "not real positive" on the almighty West Elk school and system...I was in the middle of it for lots of years.. on all levels.. and I didn't see anything that impressed me .

I have heard and talked to LOTS.. and I do mean LOTS of parents and students.( and even some teachers) that are still out there.
The low esteem that they advocate and continuing growing negative energy that hangs and prevails in that place is about more than I could handle then.. and from what I hear .. it has only gotten worse.


( sorry Rhonda.. I got off topic.. and prpbably shouldn't have vented..
but sometimes the truth isn't real pleasant..)

[Rhonda]

I fully understand your frustration.  I too am a graduate of good old West Elk.  My kids are not in that school system but from the sounds of things maybe they're close to all being alike.  We are looking forward to a better year.  We have new administration this year and I'm impressed so far (of course you realize school hasn't started yet) with their willingness to listen and positive action they've taken so far.  I have started attending school board meetings again and try to listen with an open mind to both the board members and school personel. 

Our booster club has been dormant for at least 3 years and we want to help our kids get the most out of their school years.  Hopefully we will have some success.

[Janet Harrington]

Well, the Booster Club here sells hamburgers and trimmings, (potato salad, cookie, chips), at the football homecoming game.  They sell sweatshirts, T-shirts, the big fingers, the funnel speaker thing that you yell through, can't think what you call it, anyway, they sell those at every home game.  They have a chili supper with an auction sometime during the fall.  What the booster club tries to raise money for is scholarships, I think.  I'm a lot of help, aren't I? 

I still have a gym bag that has advertisements all over it when West Elk was still a young school.  I've kept it in good shape because it might be worth something someday.  I think the John Batson bought mine for me when I worked at the drug store.

At Eureka, during school, you see all these Eureka tornado signs in people's yards.  I think that would be cool, to have something like that made and have the booster club sell them.  The sign looks like a Eureka tornado.  For West Elk, it could be shaped like the Patriot.  I don't know what your mascot is, but maybe something like that would work.  If that was done right, you could get the entire town involved or however many towns there are that represent your school.

Hope that helps.

[emptynest]

Rhonda,

Please know there are some good ideas out there, and yes, you do run into administration and others that aren't supportive and gung ho.  And yes, there will be some limitations.  Some of us parents/patrons/teachers have tried our darndest to be active and supportive of the school, its activities, and the decisions that are made concerning the education and events for our youth.  I do believe the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so therefore, even though I know longer have children in this school system, but continue to teach for this district, I continue to be an advocate for doing "something" to better our district, its educational practices, extra curricular activities, and the students of all ages, that will someday take our place either in Howard, or some other community.

I understand Theresa's frustration--I, too, ran into that throughout the years my kids were junior high to high school age.  But, please, know that there are some good people advocating/teaching those kids.  Some of us that have dedicated practically our whole career to this district and aren't willing to be stuck in the mud, but active and vocal way after the fact. 

I will try to list some off the wall ideas that may be fun--some we tried--others we weren't given the chance to.  For starters, we did sell yard ornaments one or two years-either in the shape of a football, volleyball, or wrestler (made of metal and painted with the players number). THese wouldn't have to be limited to just sports figures.  We also one year had a decorated West Elk "toilet" that was all in fun that became a yard ornament that was passed from front yard to front yard--and the people involved had to pay the organization to have it moved to the next "victim's" yard.  It was all in fun, but there had to be guidlines.  And being a former West Elk student not far from your age, you might remember we used to have car bashes---and you could swing the hammer for a buck a swing.  THe car was usually an old junker painted with West Elk logos, but inside sat the dummy mascot of the opposing school we would play for homecoming.  There are so many things, but I am rambling and will have to pull up other things from memory and records later.

I think anything worth doing is worth doing well.  And you get out of it what you put into it. It's for the youth, and even though there are rules/guidlelines to be followed, if you aren't part of the solution, then you may be part of the problem.  I would continue to stand up for what I believe in and be the squeaky wheel.  Change takes time--but the time could make all the change in the world.  Will get back to this subject later.

Thanks for reminding me, Theresa, that there is still more work to be done in our school district.  After 26 years, I am not ready to give up on it yet.

[Teresa]

Rhonda,

Thanks for reminding me, Theresa, that there is still more work to be done in our school district.  After 26 years, I am not ready to give up on it yet.

I am glad...
and I didn't mean to get all hooked up on the negatives. Guess it has frustrated me all of these years and the old dog had to howl a bit
Don't misunderstand me.. I think that there is many ways to make changes.. and I hope that those that are in there now will try to support and work with making it a better place for the children coming up .
I apologise if I stepped on anyone's toes..
Teresa

[Janet Harrington]

I am glad...
and I didn't mean to get all hooked up on the negatives. Guess it has frustrated me all of these years and the old dog had to howl a bit

Old dog howling is right!!!!!

[DanCookson]

 :oIdeas

1.)  Bring back the car bash.  (That was a hoot, and the chicks dig it)

2.)  Do a membership drive and put together a packet that you would get with your membership.  It doesn't have to be fancy stuff, but a yard sign and a cushion to sit on at the game would do it.

3.)  Print the booster members on all the sport programs.  People like to see there name in print, and it also gives people that "one up" on their neigbor!!  Allow business's to buy a bigger ad if they wish.(I don't advocate selling them since the business's here seem to get hit up for a lot)  But make it voluntary.

On a side note, I think it is rediculous for the school to have anything to do with the booster club.  The booster club should be an organized group of people that are interested in supporting extracuricular activities.  They shouldn't be forced to equally distribute thier support financially or any other way.  If I want to donate $10,000 to the booster club and people in the booster club want to support football, then that is the members of that organizations business and right.  There should be no "governing body" of the booster club, handing down rules.  The organization should be completely isolated from the school. 

This is America, last I checked.


(I love it when I get up on the stump!)

[Teresa]

(I love it when I get up on the stump!)

I wonder where he gets that from??

[Jo McDonald]

I vote for ALL STUMP CLIMBERS  AND SPEECH MAKERS
Must be in the genes!!!