Notre Dame seniors lead in Activity Week fundraising

Pride and competitive spirit propelled students at Notre Dame Regional High School to raise more than $271,242 for the school budget during its recent Activity Week.

Held Sept. 19 through 27, activities included service projects, selling dinners, raffles, magazine subscriptions, merchandise and car washes. It involved students, staff, parents and the community.

This year, the largest sales went in descending order of class -- seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen. Included in the week were service projects.

The senior class raised $122,145, information from the school said.

"As the fundraiser for the school, there's no one that pulls that kind of money in in a week. It's just a phenomenal feat," development director Tony Buehrle said.

Having watched students ahead of them, this year's seniors said they were inspired and motivated to leave the underclassmen in the dust. The seniors said they had steadily increased their proceeds as the years went on.

When this year's senior class was in its freshman and junior year, it came in second in fundraising during Activity Week, senior Dhruvi Bhakta said. Donations came from businesses, going door to door and school events. Each class sold a variety of items unique to itself, Bhakta said.

"Seniors would come up with ideas we could sell en masse," Bhakta said, such as Tervis tumblers, peanut brittle or a concert during lunch.

Buehrle said the seniors have warmed to their role, bonded together and pushed the envelope. "They don't allow the second place team to get close," he said.

Parents help out by cooking and taking order forms to work, Bhakta said.

As Buehrle put it, the students are foot soldiers. "They do all the work," he said.

Senior John Fennewald said all the activities were planned in advance, so all the seniors had to do was execute them.

"The whole thing was definitely a team project that no one could have ever done on their own," senior Mia Kinder said. "Working together is key. ..."

Buehrle said seniors have an advantage because they've participated in Activity Week three previous times. The first year, students come to Notre Dame from different dioceses and public schools, so all they know is people from their class.

Buehrle said students are given a target and a budget number that's higher. Anything over that goes toward tuition assistance and a project.

Each class selects a king and queen candidate before the week begins and the winning class has its king and queen crowned. This year, it was Fennewald and Addy Mueller who were lauded at the Activity Week dance Sept. 27. "This year, we tried to pick people who work especially hard and would represent our class well," Kinder said of the king and queen.

Principal Brother David Migliorino awarded an extra day of Christmas vacation to seniors because of their fundraising prowess.

Buehrle said activity week has been held since the mid-1950s, but it was called Varsity Week back then and was conducted to benefit the athletic department. It switched over to schoolwide needs in the late 1960s. Putting it in perspective, he said that when he graduated in 1972, the school raised $6,114.

Notre Dame's revenue sources are tuition, fundraising, parish support and the Notre Dame High School Education Fund Foundation.

Activity Week, Buehrle said, takes some of the pressure off him.

"The kids know they're participating in their education and they're helping their school. ... I think that's why the seniors work so hard," he said.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

388-3639

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265 Notre Dame Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.