MBHS PTSA - Fund Raising @ Work

December 19, 2007

This page will highlight how funds raised by the PTSA are put to work around the Blair Community.
Please submit pictures (with captions) and written reports for posting on this page.

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Where does the PTSA get its funds?

From you!

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Membership includes 445 members at $10 each and additional donations to the PTSA. Miscellaneous includes “painless fundraising” (e-scrip programs, shopping rebates), anonymous donations, interest, ink cartridge recycling and other minor contributions.

How does the PTSA spend its funds?

More than 90 percent directly benefit the Blair community—students, staff, parents, and guardians. Of the remaining operational and organizational expenses, dues to the County, State, and National PTAs support broader advocacy efforts on behalf of students.

Examples of Student and Staff Activities in 2006 -2007 included:

• B-BOPS (Blair Band and Orchestra Patrons). Using PTSA funds, B-BOPS hired busses that allowed Blair bands and the orchestra to participate in County and State music festivals, purchased new amplifiers for guitars for the jazz bands, paid for repairs to school-owned instruments, and purchased sheet music.

Computers donated by the US Department of Defense ready to be refurbished.

BlairConnect, Computer Giveaway Program. Blair students, along with staff members and volunteers, refurbish higher-end usable computers and install freeware programs to Montgomery County Public Schools students who do not have a functioning computer in their home. The program gave away approximately 400 computers last school year, mainly to Blair students. More were made available to students in Blair’s summer academic help programs. Community programs that provide computer/internet access to students also received computers. PTSA funds supported the purchase of hard drives and modems needed to refurbish the computers.

• Choral Boosters, the parent organization that supports the choral music program at Blair. PTSA funds helped the Boosters provide partial scholarships for eight students to attend the Boston Music Heritage Festival. The Festival gives Blair singers an opportunity for learning through seeing, experiencing, and interacting with other student performers and top music professionals. In addition, funds went toward recording the spring choral concert.
• Dramatic Arts. Blair’s spring musical, Pirates of Penzance, became the show that kept on going. A month after the show closed, the student players were invited to perform at the University of Maryland's Maryland Day and the Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health. Since the cast was large and a number of pieces of scenery needed to be transported, PTSA funds were used to book school buses for both days. Not only were the students delighted at the chance to do the show again, but the children at NIH loved the show. Taking the show on the road was a truly memorable learning experience.
• Poet-in-Residence. Complementing a grant from the Washington Post, PTSA funds brought Carol Peck, a poet-in-residence, to Blair for two weeks in April. She met with 22 classes for 45-minute poetry workshops; classes ranged from ESOL 4 to Honors level in 9th through 12th grades. The workshops culminated in a Poetry Slam held as part of Blair Fair.

• Silver Chips Online, the award-winning student online newspaper and its print counterpart, Silver Chips.
• Silver International, a tri-yearly newspaper by and for students learning a new language. Although based at Blair, Silver International has contributors and subscribers worldwide.
• Silver Quill, Blair’s annual student literary arts magazine
• Transition Tidbits and Appreciation Luncheon for special needs students. Transition Tidbits is a periodical newsletter mailed to parents of special needs students. Parents have responded positively to its helpful information on workshops, college fairs, and planning for the future and careers. The Appreciation Luncheon recognizes the contributions of employers in Blair and the community, who nurture and help students to develop work habits, increase work skills, and try out different jobs under the supervision of the Special Needs Department (officially called the Transition Team).

Through the Minigrant Program, the PTSA provided at total of $10,000 in support for projects initiated by staff, students, parents or guardians, and community members. Grant recipients included:

• The Automotive Club, which purchased tools and supplies.

• Black-eyed Susan Book Award. The Media Center participates in this statewide program, where Maryland students read and select favorite books.

• The Blair Forensics Team used its minigrant to develop a resource library for county and state competitions. It must have worked; the team placed second in the county-wide competition, beating 14 other high schools.
• Blair Network Communications, the student-run, in-house television and radio networks with live broadcast capabilities, received funding to update the studio

• Blair Robot Project, which engages students in designing, building, and programming robots, purchased a Lego Mindstorm Robotics system and sent students to local and national competitions.
• The Blair Stitch Project, where students knit items for charitable donations.

• A minigrant contributed to the installation of the flags of the countries represented at Blair, which line the main hallway.
  

Photo by Ellie d'Eustachio

•  The French Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society, which recognize high achievement of high school students enrolled (or who were enrolled) in French or Spanish Classes, received funds to start up activities and recognize students at Blair.
• Future Filmmakers Club, for any student who loves film, planned to make a film about life at Blair with its minigrant.
• It's Academic, Blair’s club for trivia buffs, purchased a new buzzer system for practice and participation in tournaments against a number of other Maryland, DC, and Virginia area schools.
  

InToneNation, Blair’s a capella group that sings all types of songs, from madrigals to hip-hop, used its minigrant to help produce its CD, Will Sing for Pants.

The Key Club, a student community service organization affiliated with Kiwanis International, paid its official membership fee.

The Math Department purchased five graphing calculators and batteries for Algebra I students.

Model United Nations used its minigrant to all participants to attend the North American Invitational Model UN Conference at Georgetown University. This allowed members to step into the shoes of United Nations delegates and participate in full-scale simulations of the United Nations.

The Music Department received partial support for the purchase of a "Long Ranger" –a portable sound system with a wireless microphone. The system is used at both indoor and outdoor events featuring Blair’s instrumental ensembles.

PTSA Activities included:

•  Arts Reflections Program, a nationwide competition organized by the National PTA, provides students with an opportunity to express their creativity and to gain recognition for their artistic efforts in four areas: literature, musical composition, photography, and the visual arts. Three MBHS students received Awards of Merit at the County level for their entries.
•  The Blazer, the PTSA’s newsletter, is published five times a year and mailed to every Blair family.
• Staff appreciation. PTSA volunteers prepare breakfasts, lunches, and other edible treats for staff.

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