As STEM clubs begin to prepare for competitions in the spring and games throughout the year, they start to fundraise through the fall. Through cold rains and indoor crowds, these clubs see major success.
TSA (Technology Student Association) and Rocketry have a joint fundraiser almost every week at Edmond’s Holiday Market, which they have attended for many years prior to COVID. This year, with their advisors James Wilson and Bryan Smelcer –both teachers in Terrace’s STEM program– they faced heavy rain and strong winds, as well as the occasional car breakdown, to raise money to help lower the costs of competition and expenses to run the club. All student-designed products, these two clubs sell laser cut wooden ornaments inspired by local attractions such as the Edmond’s ferry and the Seattle Space Needle, as well as intricate acrylic snowflakes and mini wooden cabin houses.
With many student volunteers, they have raised over $1,000 through fundraising each week up in Edmonds, and $1,800 just from the combination with Terrace’s recent Holiday Bazaar. From just 4 weeks they’ve received over $5,500 and expect to raise at least $8,000 by the end of the year.
HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America), Girls Who Code, E-Sports, and VEX Robotics held a fundraiser as well at Terrace’s Holiday Bazaar. HOSA sold first-aid kits and bundt cakes gaining around $350 in revenue. .
Girls Who Code sold chocolate and rubber ducks, a reference to the rubber duck method which coders use to de-bug code by explaining it to, well, a rubber duck. Through these products, Girls Who Code made up to $560.
E-Sports and VEX Robotics, similar to last year, sold close to 200 musubis, gaining over $800 in revenue to be split between the clubs. This money would go to help fund needed consoles and payment to enter competitions.
As Terrace’s STEM program grows, so do the number of students that join and compete in clubs. In turn, the need for fundraising grows. TSA –which has been an active club at Terrace for over a decade– has now grown, sending an estimated 120 students to state competition in the spring. One of the biggest TSA chapters in the whole state. HOSA, which has been at Terrace for just a few years and competing for only one, is expecting to send up to 80 students to compete–double the amount of students they had last year. As VEX has been at Terrace for many years, it has been growing back to 20 students since post-COVID. E-Sports only started the later end of last school year and has over 40 members expected to compete throughout this school year in a variety of games. They’re pushing to compete in FPS (First Person Shooter) games and gain more students. Girls Who Code had only begun up this year with only 20 girls and hopes to grow in size, opening more opportunities for girls to explore coding.
Through these fundraisers, clubs have been able to send and help aid many students to go to competitions as well as cover other costs. They provide funding as well for activities and supplies for meetings and gatherings to grow the community and the venue for students to volunteer.
