With a wintry welcome into Cleveland High School, the fundraiser begins.

CHS Gives Back returns for its third year, aiming to raise money for our community through an all-school competition. Cleveland’s end-goal is $5000, which can be achieved if each student donates approximately $3.  

The freshman academies will compete against each other to raise the most money, meanwhile each of the grades will participate in a battle-royal style fundraiser. The academy with the highest total donation will win doughnuts. Upon reaching benchmarks (out of the $5,000 goal), different rewards are offered. These range from teachers receiving a pie to the face to biology teacher Brenda Gordon getting a tattoo. At the very top, after $5000, Special Projects Coordinator Jan Watt will dye her hair purple.

The incentives to donate may be enticing, but the destination of the money equally inspires a contribution. As explained by Nick Paesler, junior class president, “The money from CHS Gives Back will go to Cleveland families in need through the holidays and the wintertime.” This money can go towards a wide variety of things depending on the family’s needs, like food during the holiday break.

Eric Mirsepassi, leadership advisor, further explained that the families will be chosen by the school social worker, Kate Allen. “She has access to information to the entire Cleveland population,” Mirsepassi said. “She is the person who is the go-to when people need a wide range of things.”

He ensures that the money will be accessible to students in need, regardless of if they are on Allen’s caseload.

In years prior, this fundraiser was only for the freshman academies. This year, leadership expanded CHS Gives Back to every class. They envision the fundraiser becoming a fund for Cleveland families in need that replenishes every year. Future plans include amping up the assembly, which was only available to the freshmen. “Next year,” Mirsepassi said, “the goal is to have it be all classes.” Further, this would provide a Cleveland-based method to give back to our own community through an assembly rooted in something deeper than just sports.

CHS Gives Back fosters a way to stimulate our local community- with the added bonus of rewards. A population of students and their families will greatly appreciate these donations, as it will propel them through the cold upcoming months.