Student Council is planning to run fundraisers to meet their goal of 10k dollars to donate to the St. Clement Catholic Church in Romeo, Michigan. The Student Council and Leadership class, run by teacher Mark Moehlig, are collaborating to create many different fundraiser projects in school to raise money to give to the church, so that they can provide Utica families in need this holiday season.
“Traditionally, we have raised money for toys for tots,” teacher Mark Moehlig said. “We decided to pivot and try to help families in need in our direct area. We wanted to send money directly to families to support their needs over the holiday season.”
In November, the Student Council and Leadership class sold students T-shirts during lunch, designed by senior Allison Derk, and sold pie slices to teachers to help local families afford basic needs, like bill money, food and clothes.
“Selling the T-shirts will be the project where we earn the most money,” senior Sara Youno said. “Because it is very easy to get people to buy them.”
In December, they also sold cappuccinos to teachers, in which a Leadership class student will be a barista and make coffee in the teacher’s lounge. Students delivered the drinks if the teachers didn’t come down and sold tickets for holiday movies.
Holiday movie day showed many holiday films in the auditorium, giving the students a break from classwork on Friday, December 6th. Different films play every hour, but students could only go if every class member brought 2 dollars to enter the auditorium.
The Pocket Empty Drive collected loose change and any money from student and staff pockets in each class.
“It was not only spare change, but it was also any money that students could spare and give to the charity,” Moehlig said. “The t-shirt preorders also counted for the winning of a pancake breakfast.”
“The winter fest is the most time-consuming event,” Youno said. “Because there is a lot of planning behind the scenes, that includes decorating and creating the activities.”
On theme for the holiday season, Student Council announced a door decoration contest, where all 4th period students came together to create their best holiday theme door decor, ranging from Christmas trees to gingerbreads.
“Our class did the Polar Express for our door idea, incorporating the books that we have read for Ap literature,” senior Yana Jani said. “We have the train in front of our door with paper snowflakes and lights, with a nutcracker on the side, made of cardboard.”
Since thanksgiving was a week later this year, Student Council and Leadership had only 2 weeks to put on the December fundraisers and Winterfest before midterms.
These events are contributing to the cause of helping families who struggle to get by. Our Student Council and Leadership class will help this cause come to life and give back to our community this holiday season. 
