Booster Clubs
At Spring Lake Park High School, we believe that the participation in athletics and activities plays an important role in the academic, social, and emotional growth and development of students. Our goal is to provide a variety of opportunities for our students so that varied interests and abilities are enhanced. We expect our programs to have high expectations for student success while developing plans and goals for continuous improvement.
Spring Lake Park Schools shows its continual support of extra-curricular athletics and activities through funding many of the essential expenses for the various program offerings. Specifically, these essentials cover expenses such as, transportation, uniforms, salaries for coaches and advisors, compensation for officials, some necessary equipment, and facility rentals and fees, just to name a few. Together, these essentials form the basic necessities for athletics and activities programming.
However, sometimes families want to provide more than what is provided by the school district. This is where booster clubs work in partnership with the school district to support athletic and activities programs. Booster clubs are independent groups that organize to show their support for and with athletics and activities.
There was a time when booster clubs would fund raise to cover the essential expenses to run various extra-curricular programs. Today, booster clubs fund raise to provide the enhancements for various extra-curricular programs. Some of the enhancements that are addressed are team carbo loads, end of season banquets, non-required team apparel, and travel out of the metro area and state.
Booster clubs are encouraged to work closely with their respective coach in budgeting, forecasting, and fund raising to determine the best ways to support their specific team or program. The goal is to ensure that the fund-raising efforts are strategic, intentional, and effective.
It should be noted that some booster clubs are able to raise a lot of money while others raise less. With the continued financial support of Spring Lake Park Schools, our current model of funding for extra-curricular programs puts less strain on booster clubs to raise money because the district is covering the essentials while the booster clubs cover the enhancements. Thus, we have seen a decrease in the fundraising efforts of our respective booster clubs.
Student involvement in extra-curricular athletics and activities is critical in maximizing the overall educational experience for many of our students. If you have specific questions about your program budget, please contact either the head coach or the athletic director for clarification. Please note that fund raising strategies and initiatives may vary from one program to another. Regardless, one constant remains, Spring Lake Park Schools is committed to fund the essential expenses for athletics and activities.
We look forward to a quality experience for all students, parents, and spectators.