Olivia Brooks - Editor
After school, students often stop by the Hitching Post for spirit wear, school supplies, and snacks to fuel test retakes or lengthy practices. And the Howard County Fair would not be the same without the bright blue Fried Oreos Booth that pulls in plenty of customers looking for a reprieve from the heat and dizzying rides.
Most Mustangs utilize these services, though fewer are knowledgeable of the group behind them, or even what such fundraisers benefit. To answer these questions, students
should refer to the Mustangs Booster Club, the primary fundraising organization for Marriotts Ridge High School. Boosters provides financial support for extracurriculars including school clubs, music, dance, drama groups, and sports teams. Further, Boosters offers two $2,000 scholarships for graduating seniors.
Students also have the opportunity to volunteer at Boosters sponsored events to boost service hours and give back to the MRHS community. Senior Julian Depireux said, “I think the concession stands are a good way to raise money because everyone benefits, and the students get good food.”
In short, there is little that happens around Marriotts Ridge that is not benefited by the Mustangs Booster Club, either directly or indirectly. The significant standing of Boosters requires a devoted platform of parents and student volunteers planning fundraisers and events, and working at concession stands and other volunteer opportunities. Mrs. Weller, Boosters President, said, “The Boosters is managed by a Board of Directors and by a contingent of committee chairs and members. We have monthly meetings where we discuss progress on our initiatives. Members in attendance vote on various issues which come before us, including setting our budget and approving supplemental budget requests from activity sponsors and the school administration.”
To fund these activities, Boosters depends on membership dues since fundraising cannot fully cover all of the programs seeking financial support. This is where problems arise, as low membership means less money for extracurriculars and the teams, groups, and clubs that students participate in. To combat this, a recent policy now sets requirements for membership. Mrs. Weller said, “After lengthy discussion at a few meetings last spring, we voted to implement a new policy for funding requests – that 25% of the participants in the organization seeking funding must be family members of the Boosters Club.”
While Boosters supports all of MRHS students, participation rate hovered around 24% of enrolled families, and so a change had to be made in order for the support Boosters offers to school activities to continue in quality and quantity. Mr. Reagle, the Activities and Athletics Manager, added, “With athletics and performing arts being cut by close to 40% over the last couple years in the County budgets, we have to find ways to increase boosters revenue if we want to continue providing the level of support for our students.”
With the implementation of this policy, an increase in membership should follow, allowing Boosters to garner more money to help offset the cost of extracurriculars and in turn enabling dedicated students to continue the hard work they perform every day.