b'meaningful help. But no one elseHigh School and its students. Withall the organizations at CHS, which at CHS was giving out Band-Aids.the continued support of dedicatedis hard. The easy part is supporting Many organizations needed help. trustees and the community, CougarCougar Boosters. OneoftheearlyissueswasBoosters will keep making a signifi- To contribute, visit CHSCougar-that the district was not paying tocant impact for many years to come. Boosters.org. insure the football program whenThroughtirelessfundraisingef- Adrianna Donat, freelance writer and most other schools did. The Boost- forts and a deep sense of community,mom of two CHS grads, is happy to ers pushed the district to do this,Cougar Boosters shows the power ofboost the organization that turns our says Zona. I can tell you the samecollective support in enriching stu- communityssmallchangeintobig thing happened with other initia- dent experiences at Columbia Highschool spirit.tives, like having more and readilySchool.CougarBoosterssupports available defibrillators. When I first posedthisasaneed,[theBoard ofEducationwasconcernedthat since it wasnt a mandate] if pushed tofundit,itwouldtakemoney away from some other worthy ini-Cougar Boosters also support the CHStiative. Of course, that made me Prom Shop which makes available for- push it more, and with the help of malwear for students. Kirk Smith, who was acting princi-pal, it happened.Cougar Boosters has supported 90 different CHS organizations, focus-ing on initiatives that have the broadest impact on the student body. Trustee Alethea Randazza notes Cougar Boosters has supported such wide-ranging projects as, the beautification of the electric boxes outside of CHS, support-ing the athletic teams with new gear, and bringing the band into the 21st century with updated technology. Cougar Boosters trustees pride themselves on their ability to provide last-minute funds when needed most, ensuring that opportunities for students are not missed due to financial constraints.As Cougar Boosters celebrates its 50th anniversary, the trustees are hosting a fundraising dinner at Orange Lawn Tennis Club in October. This milestoneCougar Boosters is the largest supporter of the CHS Midnight Madness post-grad-uation eventthey donate $5,000. Here students take a ride on Kraang Prime event is a testament to the organizations enduring commitment to ColumbiaPandemonium at American Dream. Photo credit: Joy Yagid30/ matters magazine / school 2024'