As of Wednesday of last week, Coral Gables Senior High has begun its annual United Way collection. The collection is a Miami-Dade sanction placed on all schools. By the end of October, the school must raise enough money to fulfill the sanction’s requirements. All the money collected will go directly to United Way, who then distributes the funds. Collections will go on until October 29, and this year the school has placed new incentives to help motivate students and teachers.
According to their website, United Way’s mission is, “To elevate the quality of early care and education in Miami-Dade and beyond.” The non-profit organization is responsible for various donations and charities that range from disaster preparation and response to helping families and individuals achieve financial stability. The organization also works to improve the health of children and help the youth engage in positive activities after school.
The School Board assesses the student enrollment at the beginning of the year and then requires schools to collect one dollar per student in donations. Therefore, Coral Gables Senior High must give about $3,400 each year to meet their goal.
Student activities has enacted new ways to encourage teachers to reach the school’s goal. This year the collection has become a contest between homeroom classes. The first ten teachers who raise $150 will receive a week’s worth of free Starbucks coffee. Additionally, teachers who raise $250 get free food for a week. Those special teachers will get lunch from Panera Bread, Chipotle, Nordstrom Cafe Bistro, Gourmet Boars Head Sandwiches, and Giardino Gourmet Salads.
As for classes, those that can raise over $400 will entitle their teachers to all of the prizes. That means free food and free Starbucks for a week. Finally, the top selling class in the school will get a free complementary hot breakfast for every student in that class. In addition to the breakfast, the classroom will also get two yearbooks and five class T-shirts to raffle among the students. The school has raised over $2,200 so far, and estimates that it will meet the requirements placed by Miami-Dade.
Mrs. Suarez, head of activities at Coral Gable Senior High, is in charge of managing the fundraising. She said, “If you motivate the teachers, the teachers will find a way to motivate the class. That’s why the incentives this year are directed at motivating the teachers.”
It seems to be working as the prizes have been a big hit. As of October 8, five teachers have already hit the $150 mark. As a result, these teachers will enjoy a delicious beverage of their choice each day next week. However, the competition is not over. Since the incentive has been so fruitful and teachers have been constantly raising money, student activities has extended the Starbuck’s coffee week offer to the next five teachers who collect $150 in their homerooms. There are several teachers neck-to-neck in the running as of this week. Teachers approaching the $150 mark so far are L. Monzon, Zuniga, Cosgrove, DePaola, Noval, Marmesh, Nelson, Zaldivar, Camacho, and Peterson.
“I think that the United Way Collection is a good idea because the school is taking time to raise money for a good cause,” said senior Yesenia Cehveria.
If all goes as planned, the school hopes to hit its goal by the end of October. They believe the new incentives will be enough to drive students to reach the required amount. Without a doubt, this form of raising money for the school is being pushed forth by teachers and students, and at the end of the collection, the class that raised the most money will be announced. Good luck to all the classrooms!
