
Being involved in activities can be costly, but most activities will work with students to figure it out.
Is there a club or sport that has caught some attention? Do It! The high school offers numerous opportunities for various after-school activities. The main question is whether it is financially affordable. As a student, family income is entirely out of one’s control, and almost all activities require some type of cost to be involved. Many club leaders and coaches at the high school understand that everyone is financially different, especially when it comes to show choir and archery.
Furthermore, archery is a club that many people overlook. Savanah Pope, senior, has been doing the activity for seven years now. ”The thing about Archery is, if you can’t afford it, they will make a way,” she said. Pope communicated that her rough estimate for admissions/enrollment and jerseys was $150 a year. That does not include the additional fees that one must pay if they make it to State held in Des Moines, or Nationals, which, for the past couple of years, has been in Louisville, Kentucky. She also added that the high school will provide a bow, bowcase, and arrows if a student can’t afford to buy a personal one or doesn’t want to. The only item that would need to be paid for is tournament admission fees. Due to archery being a club, there is a lot of carpooling to tournaments and understanding coaches who are willing to give rides in their personal vehicles. “My coaches are so amazing, and they will bring students who can’t drive themselves or can’t get rides or transportation since we don’t have a bus; our coaches will drive them there or pick them up, and we carpool,” said Pope. There are many ways to raise money, and the mentors truly want athletes to succeed, so they go out of their way to help the best they can.
According to Project Play, “The average family pays $883 annually in one child’s primary sport.” A handful of people can’t afford to put $883 towards their child’s activities without help.
Additionally, show choir is a delightful way to meet new people and be more involved; of course, that’s if there are people interested in dancing. Show choir is pretty simple when it comes to money. Every year, each dancer pays $500, which covers everything, such as camp, the choreographer, and two costumes. The $500 can be paid in full at the beginning of the season or in $100 increments throughout the five months of the show choir season. Additional costs for the ladies include $10-15 for makeup, any other personal beauty products, and a tights fee; however, this could be a one-time purchase throughout the four years. For the gentlemen, they need to buy compression shorts, black socks, black dress shoes, and a white/black tank.
On top of that, for everyone, there are extra costs at competitions, such as food/drinks and shout-outs. Allison Lindaman, sophomore, has been doing show choir for five years now. “They have lots of opportunities to have scholarships, and we do fundraisers and stuff, so you can help raise money yourself instead of having to pay for it.” I fundraised almost $400 from one fundraiser,” Lindaman said. She also highlighted that the co-director, Meegan Dyrland, makes it very clear that if there are any financial problems, she will do anything to include them still and help in any way. “If she somehow needed to, she’d pay out of her own pocket. She’s so sweet about it, and she doesn’t want that to be an issue for anyone,” said Lindaman.
Hence, there are ways to be involved with a low income if a student is extremely driven about it. There are so many more activities the high school provides; try taking advantage of as many sports or clubs as possible. Fundraising and applying for scholarships are the most common ways to raise money. Be open toward the activity leader and tell them the truth. A good coach would understand and give one some options to start or continue an activity. Every student deserves to have a chance to be involved as they wish.