In previous years, the PTSA has coordinated events for school spirit and aimed to bring the community—parents, teachers, and students—together. This year, however, students’ financial contributions to the PTSA come in the form of a one-time student enrichment fee.
“In the past, the PTSA would ask for money throughout the year for different things for students and teachers, but this way, it’s kind of like a one-time deal,” principal Stacy Whaling said. “So [for] the Dunkin truck and things like that, [the] PTSA is really trying to listen to what kids want, listen to what teachers want, and really be able to do cool things with that money.”
The $25 enrichment fee can be paid for through the campus PTSA website and will go towards a variety of activities, including student events, educational enrichment, teacher appreciation, and campus improvements. The main focus of the fee is on stirring school spirit, which other new additions, like campus culture boosters and class dojo points (Hawk points) also focus on.
“[School spirit] means different things to different people,” Whaling said. “So on campus, we’ve created [what] we’re calling Campus Culture Boosters, that teachers are doing: whether it’s with staff spirit, student spirit, working with PTSA, different things like that. So [school spirit efforts] are just trying to get students excited, and part of that is just learning about what they’re interested in and what we can do to make that more fun.”
For Whaling, boosting school spirit and student engagement has the potential to lead to a more positive learning environment.
“I think doing fun stuff increases the happiness factor of being here,” Whaling said. “When you’re a teacher and you choose to work here, it’s different [than] when you’re a student and have to come to school every day. So anything that we can do to make it a little bit more fun, I think, is always great and makes the experience that much better for everybody.”
School spirit makes school both more welcoming and enjoyable for students such as sophomore Kavya Prasad.
“I think the PTSA student enrichment fee is important because it makes school more enjoyable for the students as it sponsors fun activities for us,” Prasad said. ”School spirit is important so everyone can feel like they have a place to belong and have a better school experience”
