By Ariana Wilson
Contributing Writer
A fundraiser for the junior class at Albany High School will be held Tuesday at Chipotle in Stuyvesant Plaza from 4 to 7pm. The proceeds will offset the costs of the junior class prom’s specialty items including a DJ, flowers, and photo booth.
Christina Wierschem, junior class president, was the project lead on the fundraiser at Chipotle, which is a tradition that the student government has been doing for a few years. Wierschem started out by calling the Chipotle, a Mexican grill that mainly serves burritos, back in November in order to reserve a date in February. After that, most of her communication with Chipotle employees was through email, sending them completed W-9 and tax-exempt forms. While Wierschem’s main goal is to raise money, the other goal is to build community.
Chipotle where Albany High School junior class will fundraise on Tues., Feb. 10 from 4pm-7pm.
“You can make it into a real family and community event,” said Kyle Koblensky, junior class government advisor and teacher at Albany High School. He plans on bringing his wife and two kids to the fundraiser. Although he doesn’t expect anybody to go, teacher or student, based on their hectic schedules, Koblensky said it is a great way to build the community. It is good for students to see that their teachers care, he added.
This fundraising plan was crafted and executed by the junior class student government officers, which include the president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. Although there is a staff advisor, the students took the lead with most of the fundraising activities held throughout the year.
“It’s nice to see the mentality that these kids have,” said Koblensky, “the four officers are go getters and put out the initiative.”
Wierschem hopes to make close to five hundred dollars through this fundraiser, since Chipotle offers fifty percent of the proceeds to the cause.
“We do the biggest proceeds back as opposed to other stores,” said Meghan Margolis, apprentice manager at the Western Ave. Chipotle. Even though they don’t allow the students to promote the event on site, Margolis believes that Chipotle offers the best deal around. Guilderland High School, Bethlehem High School, University at Albany, and The College of Saint Rose have all done fundraisers in the past at this particular Chipotle.
In addition to the upcoming Chipotle event Tuesday, the junior class has also done other fundraising events this past school year. In October, the class government raised just under three hundred dollars at TCBY, and sold coupon books around the holidays to parents and teachers. As far as future fundraisers, they plan on having one on Mar. 25 at Flight, the indoor trampoline park.
According to Wierschem, the junior class prom will be held on May 16 at the Desmond Hotel. The proceeds from their Chipotle fundraiser, and other fundraisers, will not go into the venue or food costs, which will be covered by ticket prices.
“Whatever we don’t use this year for prom will go into next years prom to make it even better,” Wierschem said.
