Sophomore Class Blooms with Flower Sales
By Evan Heins--Staff Writer & Photography Editor
February has just passed, which means love is still lingering in the air, and the sophomore class offered a fundraiser for people looking to give a loved one some beautiful carnations for Valentine's Day.
The idea for the fundraiser came from class sponsors Jordan Lowe and Brandon Custer.
“We were again just thinking of ideas that wouldn't require a lot of time from our busy schedules but would still raise a good amount for the Sophomore class,” stated Lowe.
The first step was to get an estimate of expenses.
“We called the local flower shop and Kroger to compare prices. We ended up ordering from Kroger since they were more budget-friendly for us,” Lowe reported.
The group decided to use pre-sales rather than direct sales. Each flower would have a tag on it with the receiver’s name on it, the sender, and a Valentine’s Day message.
“We did presales, then ordered the amount we knew we would need,” stated Custer.
One of the lucky recipients was Alicia McGeorge, a science teacher on campus, who received a bloom from an anonymous giver.
“I received a carnation from an anonymous person. I didn't expect to receive one, so it was a nice surprise! I did guess that it came from Amy Chattin [teacher] and she did confirm that she sent it,” she shared.
Most of the operation was carried out by the sophomore class officers: Class President Adalie Woodford, Vice President Hannah Bird, and Treasurer Aniston Wray.
“For the tags, we had our officers split up the names of everyone who ordered. Our president, Adalie Woodford, took the time to group them by the buildings they would be delivered to. Adalie, Hannah, Anniston, and Mr. Custer took the time to handwrite every tag themselves,” explained Lowe.
It took a while to coordinate the event.
“It took us as a group around a month to set the idea and finalize everything. We spent a lot of time organizing profit and making it appealing to students as well as making sure we advertised it to its full potential,” said Woodford.
One problem they encountered was time management.
“We [had to] tie each tag onto however many flowers were being delivered to each person. It was definitely time-consuming,” added Lowe.
There was also the problem of absent students.
“It was worrisome when some students weren’t there the day of delivery since you know, they are flowers and they need water,” said Woodford.
The whole fundraiser generated around $300 dollars for the sophomore class. While the fundraiser was a big success, they hope with better advertising they can raise more money in future years.
“And we have an idea that would be more time effective next year. It was such a fun process, and we enjoyed being able to brighten some people's day,” Lowe stated.