La Jolla High School (LJHS) students, teachers, parents and staff gathered at the corner of Fay Avenue and Nautilus Street early in the morning on Nov. 15 amid chants of “Save our schools” and “Education matters” to help bring awareness to the dire financial distress that continues to face public schools. “We’re here this morning to raise awareness for our need for financial support from within the local community,” said Jeff Macelli, president of The Foundation of LJHS, Jeff Macelli. “It really is just a grassroots campaign to let the community know about us and our needs and how they can help.” The Foundation re-laun-ched its Conquer the Cuts fundraising campaign to finance much-needed expenses like school supplies, staff positions, athletic equipment and repairs to campus grounds. So far, the foundation has been successful in raising $62,000 toward its $150,000, which organizers hope to reach by Jan. 1. Additionally, an anonymous donor has agreed to match up to $10,000 toward funds raised until the end of November. “The money will be very, very helpful to get us through the rest of the year, then we’ll start over again,” Macelli said. “Every year, we don’t know the number that we need, but every year we know it’s going to be a big one.” Students — including graduating seniors — recognized the essential need for school funding and the importance of quality education in their neighborhood, enough so that they, too, joined parents, faculty and foundation members at the rally, holding signs and waving flags before marching off to that day’s classes. “They all care about their school, and they all have a lot of pride in what goes on here,” said Macelli. “They know that without the support from the community and the parents and the families, we won’t have enough money to make it through the year.” Associated Student Body president Daniel Hamilton shared his insight at the rally about why funding for LJHS is key, despite the fact he is a graduating senior and may not get to see many results from the funding. “It’s for the longevity of education. It’s not just something that applies to one grade. It’s a whole generation, it’s something that all people need to have access to,” he said. “We need school supplies, we need teachers, we need paper. We just need the basic things to help us learn.” The Foundation of La Jolla High School is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, and all donations given to the Conquer the Cuts campaign are tax deductible. For more information or to donate to the campaign, visit www.ljhs.sandi.net/foundation.
