The red-dripped poinsettias that will adorn the stage at this year’s Winter Extravaganza can now be purchased via orchestra’s website for $6.50 a piece. 

“They’re a way to decorate the stage,” orchestra director Julie Blackstock said. “I sent an email out to all of our families and also to the teachers of the other organizations – band, choir, theater, dance, drill team, color guard – and they sent it out to the students in those organizations. [The poinsettias] add to the decorations because [they] just make the stage look nice.” 

The orchestra directors have played the biggest role in spreading the word about this opportunity. 

“I think mostly it has been something the directors are in charge of [as] opposed to the officers,” orchestra president senior Abigail So said. “The main information that we’ve gotten about it is just an email, so we haven’t announced it too much in class, but I think moving forward, if we want to advertise it more, we can have our officers notify more orchestra members.” 

Though the idea first came from the orchestra directors, other programs have fully endorsed it. 

“I think the band program has been pretty good about sending out information about the poinsettias,” sophomore Krishna Perneti said. “They’ve emailed us once or twice about it and sent out a few emails to parents about supporting the extravaganza. [However], we haven’t really discussed it in class as we’ve been juggling our extravaganza music and all-region.”

To some, the prospect of donating is a potentiality. So sees it as a nice way to round off her senior year. 

“Last Winter Extravaganza, I didn’t donate, but I think this year, realizing that it was only 6.50, I might,” So said. “And it’s also my senior year, so I might as well do something to help out orchestra.”