Photo courtesy of Mountain Brook Schools.
Track Meet Fundraiser
Photo courtesy of Mountain Brook Schools.
Long Jump
More than 700 students from all four Mountain Brook elementary schools participated in a track meet on April 16 and 17, which raised over $80,000 for the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation.
“It's a fundraiser that the foundation has been doing for the past several years, which gives the opportunity for all of the elementary schools to come together and fundraise for the foundation,” said Rachel Weingartner, the foundation’s executive director.
Third through sixth graders from Crestline Elementary, Mountain Brook Elementary, Brookwood Forest Elementary and Cherokee Bend Elementary can register to take part in the annual meet and spend time in their PE classes training for the different events, which include a 100-meter dash, 400-meter dash, one-mile run and a relay race. There is also a shot put and long jump for the field components.
The event is held over two days at the Mountain Brook High School track. The schedule is divided so that third and fifth graders compete on the first day and fourth and sixth graders on the second day, so the events can be completed in a reasonable time.
The fundraising comes from each student’s $45 entry fee. Students receive a specific colored T-shirt to represent their school, along with a drawstring bag with items from the event’s sponsors. The money raised becomes part of the funding that is later given out as grants to the schools.
“It’s a fun-filled two days,” Weingartner said. “This is a really fun, school-spirited event and one of the only opportunities for all four elementary schools to get together. Dozens of junior high and high school track students also volunteer to help make [the event] run.”
Each school’s track coaches also help facilitate the events. Express Timing is outsourced to handle the race timing, so it is done like an actual track meet.
Weingartner is the sole employee of the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation, which is separate from Mountain Brook Schools. The foundation funds its own budget, with the sole purpose to fundraise for the school system.
“Every year we raise money, and part of that is also [having] a set amount we give off of our endowment fund to the school system,” Weingartner said. “That’s the most important part — giving money back to schools.”
The foundation granted more than half a million dollars to Mountain Brook schools. Over 30 years, we have actually granted more than $10 million to Mountain Brook schools. These funds pay for extras in the classroom that would not otherwise be purchased, including technology like VR goggles or software and innovation simulations for math and science. It has also funded math and reading coaches at each elementary school.
