Teacher Stunts Motivate Students to Give

The Charity Council at Harvard-Westlake is raising money by getting teachers to do funny things in exchange for student donations to charity. The money is being raised to help the people in the Philippines who were impacted by Typhoon Haiyan in late 2013.

In a school assembly, Charity Council member Phoebe Sanders said, “Do you want to hear [English teacher] Mr. Chae sing ‘Let It Go’ from ‘Frozen?’ Do you want to see the English teachers take a Math test? Do you want to see Mr. Robertson cut [his large beard] off? All of that will occur if the school raises enough money.”

The Charity Council has been raising money for the people in the Philippines for several months but had not met its expectations, so this ongoing event was devised to increase participation.

“I think it’s a fun way to motivate people to donate money. It will be interesting in two weeks to see the teachers perform their acts. It’s also convenient that we can donate money using our school IDs instead of having to bring cash from home,” freshman Kami Durairaj said.

The Council has assigned different amounts of money to each performance. For example, it costs $50 for English teachers to take math tests but $100 is needed for Mr. Chae to sing “Let It Go.” Other acts include teachers getting hit with pies, dying their hair, or dressing in costumes. According to an Instagram post by the school on May 21, the event has already led to Mr. Robertson shaving his beard and Mr. Mastin dying his hair black.

Another fundraiser is going on at the school to raise money for charity. The whole school is divided into four groups and is playing Penny Wars, a competitive fundraiser that pits student groups against each other. Over four hundred dollars were collected and all the money earned will go to Next Generation Nepal, an organization that helps victims of human trafficking find their families.