By Chris Hendrickson
Monroe High School students and staff have started 2014 off with a hearty emphasis on fundraising and outreach work.
That's what the Monroe City Council learned Tuesday when Council Student Representative Karen Vasatka gave them an update on recent campaigns focused on raising money for the school's work with the international nonprofit organization Free the Children.
A fundraising campaign-á developed by the ASB called "What Does the Fox Say,GÇ¥ took place January 13 through January 17. "What Does the Fox SayGÇ¥ is a nonsensical tune by a comedy duo from Norway called Ylvis, for which the video has made a huge splash on YouTube. The song was played during lunch hours in the cafeteria, and in order to make it stop, students needed to provide monetary donations.
The song, played on repeat, was, at first, slightly vexatious to students. Vasatka stated that during the first couple of days, the campaign literally drove students out of the cafeteria.
"It was a disaster,GÇ¥ said Vasatka.
But the campaign continued. One student's $120 donation kept the fox quiet for an entire day.
"After that, it got a lot better,GÇ¥ said Vasatka.
She shared that the emcees started doing "shout-outsGÇ¥ for anyone who donated money, and it became a lot more spirited and fun.
A dollar donation would keep the fox quiet for a designated amount of time. The more money that was donated, the longer the fox stayed quiet. Eventually throughout the week better music was played in an effort to thank the students for their donations and outreach work.
The "What Does the Fox SayGÇ¥ campaign raised nearly $400.
The school also held a teacher karaoke contest, which was won by performing arts instructor Karl Akesson, who received more donations than anyone else. His award for winning was the opportunity to perform during the school's pep assembly on Friday, Jan. 17, during which he treated the school to a spunky rendition of the Brittney Spears song "Hit Me Baby One More Time.GÇ¥
The Battle of the Bands took place on Friday, Dec. 17 after the girls' basketball game against Kamiak High School. "We won in overtime so that was really cool,GÇ¥ said Vasatka.
Approximately 360 tickets were sold which netted $1090 in ticket sales. Additional money was raised via donations that were made to the bands as they performed. The-áband that-áreceived the most donations was-á called The Project.
Money was also raised through food sales and face painting during the event and a "miracle minuteGÇ¥ which took place during the basketball game.
The school's fundraising goal for the Free the Children charity initiative is $10,000 which will be dedicated towards the agency's Brick by Brick program. The funds are purposed for the construction of a new school facility in one of their developing communities around the world.
Proceeds earned through "What Does the Fox Say,GÇ¥ Teacher Karaoke and Battle of the Bands topped $2,400, all of which will go to Free the Children.
CATFIGHT GÇô AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION BENEFIT
The second annual "CatfightGÇ¥ between Monroe and Snohomish High School will be taking place next week, from January 27 through January 31.
The Catfight is a lively competition between the two high schools to see who can raise the most money for the American Heart Association.
Catfight events will include a wrestling match at Monroe on Thursday, Jan 30 and girls' basketball on Friday, Jan. 31, at Monroe. The sporting events will include a "miracle minute,GÇ¥ during which school representatives will rush through the stands collecting additional donations. The main event will be the boys' basketball game held on Friday at 7:15 p.m., Jan. 31, at Snohomish High School. Commemorative "We are the BeatGÇ¥ t-shirts will be available during events for $10, with all proceeds going towards the cause.
A multi-faceted campaign, the school is celebrating "Heart WeekGÇ¥ in other ways, as well; they will be focused on spreading awareness in addition to raising money. The American Heart Association invests over $132 a year in heart and stroke research in addition to promoting a healthy lifestyle and advocating for smoke-free public places and much more.
Vasatka explained that the school is looking forward to avenging last year's loss to Snohomish, and will be extremely focused on fundraising efforts throughout the week.
"We're just looking for community support,GÇ¥ explained Vasatka in December when she originally presented details about the event. "We're hoping to beat Snohomish this year.GÇ¥
Donations can be made online on behalf of Monroe High School. To support Monroe please visit: http://tinyurl.com/monroecatfight. Donations can be made from January 22 through February 6. Whichever school raises the most money will be considered the winner of the "Catfight.GÇ¥
For more information about the American Heart Association, please visit: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/. The direct link to Monroe's donation page is here: http://redoutwsa.kintera.org/faf/teams/groupTeamList.asp?ievent=1083656&tlteams=5762854.
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