For years, Sacred Heart Academy has been actively performing musicals for the community to enjoy, and this year is no exception. At the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, students from Sacred Heart Academy, Notre Dame in West Haven, and many other local schools, have banned together to put on the musical, Singin’ in the Rain. After its lovely performances on the weekend of November 15- 16, we can see that their dedication certainly paid off.  The students and faculty involved in the production of this year’s musical had been hard at work for weeks on end, often spending hours and hours in rehearsal while also balancing the work of a busy school life: theater is anything but easy! However, putting on a musical isn’t only about the hard work and dedication; it requires a bit of money to be successful and run as smoothly as possible.

Because the musical was booked in such a classic venue, decked out with bright lights, glittery costumes, and glamorous sets, it isn’t surprising that so much money was invested into its making.  To fund the musical each year, the school gathers to raise a sum of money by selling ads for an annual ad booklet, a thickly-bound pamphlet full of advertisements bought by folks all around.  Each class is responsible for raising a specific amount of money, which is based off of the number of students in the class. Money is raised by the students who sell ads, which range from $25 to even $100 and more.  For two weeks in the fall season, each student is required to sell approximately $130 in ads for their class to reach their goal. When this goal is achieved, students receive a day off, and the money raised is put into something that can benefit the school.

At the introduction to the project each year, students are often overwhelmed by the mass amount of money that needs to be raised by the deadline, and many wonder where exactly their hard- earned cash is really going.  After the campaign closed in the previous year and all of the money was turned in, it seemed as though many students weren’t very pleased with the investment of new computers in the library and televisions in the cafeteria. Following this generally unsatisfied reaction to the investments last year, the faculty came up with an ingenious plan that is sure to create a compromise: the students can help in the process of choosing the items, and in turn, the faculty will have an easier time figuring out just what is needed and wanted by the school.  To do this, the school has placed an “Ad Campaign Suggestions” Box in the school library to create a more “hands on” approach; this box acts as an outlet for different ideas that the students or faculty may have for the use of the money that is raised, whether it be bettering the sports fields or  even creating a Starbucks lounge in the Cafeteria!

One of the largest complaints that students at Sacred Heart Academy seem to have is about the lack of a proper heating and cooling in the school; during the year, most of the school is either scorching hot during the spring/ fall months or incredibly cold, which has become a  problem for students and faculty who suffer during daily lessons. “It is true; for me personally, it is very uncomfortable when I have to take a test and the room is humid or extremely cold.  I think that spending the money on a better air conditioner would be a great idea,” Kate Christie, sophomore, agrees. Of course, as the opportunity to choose where to invest the ad campaign was presented, students didn’t delay in requesting the installment of such a system.   For the past few weeks leading up to the musical, the box has been in place, and day after day, new submissions are entered. The faculty can filter through the suggestions and find the best options.

“I am a huge fan of this new system.  It is nice that we get a chance to choose where all of our money is being spent and that we can choose something useful to everyone,” says sophomore Victoria Charron.  This box truly is a great and better option, considering that the students do have an opportunity to make spending decisions that can benefit the school, and especially the people in it.

Through the suggestions placed in the box, not only do the students have a better grasp on the choices that the school makes, but also, those who make the final decisions will have an easier time and this makes the situation much better for the entire school community. Though the musical has ended and the students can finally rest, the Ad Campaign suggestion box continues its stay at SHA and is filled with more ideas every day!

This year, what do you think the school should spend the Ad campaign earnings on?