At any point in time this fall, Magnet has been involved in multiple fundraisers and drives. Earlier in the year, students participated in a blood drive for the American Red Cross with the double benefit of more blood for the cause and free soda for the donors. The annual canned food drive competition led to intense rivalries between focus classes and individual teachers. Ms. Padgett's Focus class won both the competition for the greatest number of cans and best can sculpture, which was built to resemble the Giving Tree from Shel Silverstein's book.  As a reward, they received a Chinese food party with food catered from a local restaurant. Before Thanksgiving a new fundraiser to the school was started by the girl's lacrosse team. Liberty Hill, a school for younger students on the Magnet/SOA campus, has many students who would not be able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner because their families could not afford it.  Magnet rallied behind this cause and assigned particular food items associated with Thanksgiving to each Focus to ensure that the students at the neighboring school could have a Thanksgiving dinner.  The Christmas fundraiser, called Families Helping Families, is always exciting for the school because each Focus class is given a young child from a family that may not be able to provide Christmas presents for their children.  After receiving a list of items the kid would like to receive, the classes collect money and purchase whatever toys or clothes they can with the money raised to give the child a merry Christmas. This week, some students will stay after school to wrap the presents as well.  The most recently announced fundraiser is another competition to raise money to help victims of the typhoon in the Philippines. The winners will receive a Filipino meal, but the ultimate reward of this fundraiser, as with the others that Magnet has participated in, is providing hope or happiness for others and spreading the good will of the AMHS community to both people around us and far away.

Jennie Schaaf, AMHS Junior

Happy holidays Raptor families! The Chase After a Cure club, which raises money for children's cancer, specifically Neuroblastoma cancer, is doing a fundraiser selling AMHS Christmas ornaments.  Each ornament costs $10 and will be delivered the 16th of December.  

 The ornaments are white balls and have the AMHS logo on them. Buy yours today!  The money can be delivered to Ms. Grimball or Dr. Altman. 

- VOLUNTEERS LEAD THE WAY -

Many people help AMHS, most often in ways beyond financial support.  After the efforts faculty and staff, our volunteers are also key contributors to the success of our School.  The Academic Magnet Foundation (AMF), the Partners In Education (PIE), and the School Improvement Council (SIC) - all of our cooperative efforts on behalf of AMHS rely upon the work of volunteers. 

[Here is a link showing how those three support groups interrelate:  http://www.academicmagnetfoundation.org/#!amhs-support-groups/c1jxp.]

Please consider how you could volunteer to help AMHS' support groups.  Right now, the Foundation is seeking nominees and volunteers for positions on its Board of Directors and Committees of all kinds, including:

-  School Needs Committee -

We need educators and others to help develop the investment plan for Foundation funds.  Two general, intitial investment goals were already agreed amongst AMF, PIE, and SIC, with the counsel of Ms. Peterson:  The Foundation's initial investments will be to help AMHS develop its programs in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and also to expand our foreign language programs into one of "Global Citizenry."

-  Grants & Development Committees -

We need help "leveraging" the success of our first campaign to create more funding for AMHS through grants and other outside sources.

-  Foundation Board of Directors -

Our annual request for nominations starts today!  Please consider how you (or someone you know) can help Foundation help AMHS.

Please email your interest to Volunteer@AcademicMagnetFoundation.org.

Friends, 

Misha Pekar is an AMHS sophomore student and will be a part of a Charleston Stage Company's Annie production at the historic Dockstreet Theater as a pit musician (keyboards). Show details are at: http://www.charlestonstage.com/shows-and-tickets/4-annie.html 

Come grab your garb for the winter and support school activities at the same time! Cozy up in an AMHS sweatshirt or layer with a long-sleeve t-shirt. PIE Tumblers are also available in the school store! Several great gift opportunities! Please call or email the bookkeeper, Niki Grimball, if you need to make special arrangements to purchase items as gifts without your students knowing...