ASB Senior Trip Fundraiser Makes a Splash on Campus

Senior, Thatcher Pate, is behind the curtain of water being poured by English teacher Alex Rosenfield. The inaugural “Soak a Senior” fundraiser took place under sunny skies on a warm fall day in front of a full house. Photo credit: Caroline Menna and Indica Mendoza.

In a wave of laughter, cheers, and perhaps more than a few shivers, last week ASB and the CHS class of ‘24 hosted an amusing and refreshing fundraiser: “Soak a Senior.” The event not only helped to raise money for the year-end senior class trip, but brought the student body together for a bit of lighthearted fun.

The senior trip, a rite of passage of sorts, provides a final bonding experience before students embark on their journeys to college, a gap year, trade school, or work. This year’s senior class took a new and unique approach to fundraising for the trip, which was held on CHS’s front lawn during Flex period under unseasonably warm and sunny skies.

As students gathered on the lawn and athletic wing stairs, excitement was palpable in the air.

The concept was simple: “soakers” paid varying amounts to pour a bucket of water over the heads of the “soakees”: to soak a senior, it was $3.00 for tap water, $5.00 for ice water; for staff it was a flat $10.00; administrators a flat $20.00. The effort, managed by senior class ASB Secretary Ellie Holm, netted over $350 for the trip.

“The trip will cost a bit more than in the past,” explained Holm, who continued: “Rather than going to Slidewaters and Lake Chelan, we were thinking of going to Silverwood Theme Park, and doing something a little farther away and a little more unique.” The aim is to meet all the costs of their senior class trip, ensuring that all students can participate without financial constraints.

Seniors were not the only ones getting soaked. Math teacher, Eric Bard, is showered by Alexia Hughes (10) on the front lawn of CHS. Photo credit: Caroline Menna and Indica Mendoza.

As students gathered on the lawn and athletic wing stairs, excitement was palpable in the air. A couple dozen seniors were soaked by classmates, underclassmen, and faculty alike. And the tables were turned with no shortage of takers lining up to splash faculty and administrators, including Principal Rudy Joya. Senior Class ASB President Natalie Sanchez and Vice President Angela Gunter agreed that “Soak a Senior” was, as Gunter put it, “the fundraising option that seemed the most fun.” Sanchez added that “it was a new, exciting event for CHS that allows a lot of participation.”

The event united the senior class and fostered a sense of community within the whole school. It demonstrated how creativity can lead to a successful fundraiser while making high school memories that will last a lifetime.