In places are the luxuries of Naperville’s affluence more evident than in Central’s Athletic Department. The digital scoreboard in the main gym and the panel of record-breaking times outside Memorial Stadium are only made possible by the city’s wealth — not just in tax revenue for District 203, but through the generosity of parents as a part of a robust boosters.

For one in three students at Central, academic and community-building activities are their only form of extracurricular involvement, according to data from Central’s School Improvement Plan and Athletic Boosters. For countless more, activities supplement a students’ participation in athletic teams, further deepening their investment in our community.

An Activities Booster Club would provide an outlet for facilities improvements and financial relief that benefit all of those students and more. Just as Athletics Boosters subsidizes the Rick Jeffers Redhawk Fund to support underprivileged students afford the high costs of being an athlete, the expense of a trip to DECA Nationals or HOSA’s spring state leadership conference can put some clubs out of reach for low-income students.

The generosity of parents in Athletics Boosters funds school improvements that benefit all students in athletics, whether their parents are Boosters Club members or not. Everyone can appreciate the functionality of a scoreboard or the community of the Senior Athletic Banquet. These resources directly improve the school space and Athletic Department. Activities Boosters would serve much the same purpose — to help subsidize facilities improvements and student experiences through the generosity of affluent parents for the benefit of all extracurricularly-involved Redhawks.

District 203 doesn’t allocate a budget towards the Activities Department, leaving all clubs and activities to fundraise for themselves without financial assistance from the school or district. Athletics Boosters has already drawn up the playbook for how a new Activities Boosters could fill this gap — selling yard signs and memberships, hosting fundraisers, encouraging tax-deductible donations and running concession stands for events like Speech Team’s Tournament of Roses.

Students on the Debate Team and Senior Class Council deserve the same opportunities for scholarships that students in athletics get through the Athletics Boosters-funded School Spirit, Connor Hunt and Rick Jeffers Memorial Scholarships.

And when it comes to facilities, an Activities Boosters Club could help Enchords afford new sheet music, pay for props and costumes used by Theatre Central or fund a print edition of the Central Times. The cost of running the wide variety of student clubs at Central is staggering, and the tight budgeting required by most activities to survive inevitably requires groups to restrict student opportunities.

The fact that Naperville ranks among the richest cities in Illinois is obvious in every facet of the Athletic Department, in no small part due to the support of Athletics Boosters. In the same way, Activities Boosters can ensure that the same support and facilities are offered to the thousands of students who engage in everything from Computer Science Club to Chess Team.

School clubs and activities are one of the best ways for building school spirit and community — they’re much needed for a healthy school environment. And in an area with as much wealth and generosity as Naperville, financial means shouldn’t place a limit on student involvement. With parents leading an Activities Booster Club, it doesn’t have to be this way.

In places are the luxuries of Naperville’s affluence more evident than in Central’s Athletic Department. The digital scoreboard in the main gym and the panel of record-breaking times outside Memorial Stadium are only made possible by the city’s wealth — not just in tax revenue for District 203, but through the generosity of parents as a part of a robust boosters.

For one in three students at Central, academic and community-building activities are their only form of extracurricular involvement, according to data from Central’s School Improvement Plan and Athletic Boosters. For countless more, activities supplement a students’ participation in athletic teams, further deepening their investment in our community.

An Activities Booster Club would provide an outlet for facilities improvements and financial relief that benefit all of those students and more. Just as Athletics Boosters subsidizes the Rick Jeffers Redhawk Fund to support underprivileged students afford the high costs of being an athlete, the expense of a trip to DECA Nationals or HOSA’s spring state leadership conference can put some clubs out of reach for low-income students.

The generosity of parents in Athletics Boosters funds school improvements that benefit all students in athletics, whether their parents are Boosters Club members or not. Everyone can appreciate the functionality of a scoreboard or the community of the Senior Athletic Banquet. These resources directly improve the school space and Athletic Department. Activities Boosters would serve much the same purpose — to help subsidize facilities improvements and student experiences through the generosity of affluent parents for the benefit of all extracurricularly-involved Redhawks.

District 203 doesn’t allocate a budget towards the Activities Department, leaving all clubs and activities to fundraise for themselves without financial assistance from the school or district. Athletics Boosters has already drawn up the playbook for how a new Activities Boosters could fill this gap — selling yard signs and memberships, hosting fundraisers, encouraging tax-deductible donations and running concession stands for events like Speech Team’s Tournament of Roses.

Students on the Debate Team and Senior Class Council deserve the same opportunities for scholarships that students in athletics get through the Athletics Boosters-funded School Spirit, Connor Hunt and Rick Jeffers Memorial Scholarships.

And when it comes to facilities, an Activities Boosters Club could help Enchords afford new sheet music, pay for props and costumes used by Theatre Central or fund a print edition of the Central Times. The cost of running the wide variety of student clubs at Central is staggering, and the tight budgeting required by most activities to survive inevitably requires groups to restrict student opportunities.

The fact that Naperville ranks among the richest cities in Illinois is obvious in every facet of the Athletic Department, in no small part due to the support of Athletics Boosters. In the same way, Activities Boosters can ensure that the same support and facilities are offered to the thousands of students who engage in everything from Computer Science Club to Chess Team.

School clubs and activities are one of the best ways for building school spirit and community — they’re much needed for a healthy school environment. And in an area with as much wealth and generosity as Naperville, financial means shouldn’t place a limit on student involvement. With parents leading an Activities Booster Club, it doesn’t have to be this way.