Photo by Sophia Mancuso
At 3:05, students rush out of classrooms and crowd around the Booster Club, but most don’t know what goes on behind the scenes of where they get their popcorn and candy. The Booster Club is a volunteer organization run by parents of students at ASL; it was established to support ASL teams, as well as to create revenue for the athletics department.
The club is sometimes open after school in the gym foyer and sells many items of food, including popcorn, nachos, candy, as well as drinks. The Booster Club has an online shop too, where you can buy personalized school merchandise.
Students really enjoy these food items that are sold, but many interviewed thought the booster club should have healthier options. Eighth-grader Sara Kim said, “There’s a large selection of items that students enjoy, such as candy. However, I think that the booster club should offer healthier snacks.”
The Booster Club, which is part of the Parents Community Association, has a board of ten parent volunteers with different roles. Some of these include stocking the stand, finding volunteers, and monitoring the online store. The head of the Booster Club oversees everyone.
In terms of when the Booster Club opens, it’s dependent upon ASL’s sports season and if there is an athletics event going on. In the winter, the Booster Club is mostly open for basketball, swim meets, and rugby at Canons Park. In the fall, the stand is usually open for volleyball at school and soccer tournaments at Canons Park. Due to the lack of sports in the spring, the club has “Fun Fridays,” where they open on some Fridays and play music.
Students really enjoy it when the stand is open. Fifth-grader Ayla Rafiq said, “A lot of the time, I have after school activities, and there is always something yummy to energize me up at the booster club.”
To find parents to work at the stand, a link is sent out in the parent online newsletter Take Note; parents can click on it to see the days the stand is open, what games are playing, which shifts are available, and to sign up. There are usually two shifts on one day; the first shift has four people, and the second one has three people. As many of the volunteers are athletes’ parents, the board tries to open the stand on days where there are two games at different times, allowing the parents to watch their child’s games and work.
The board additionally creates the items that are sold to students. The menu has mostly been handed down, but the stand has introduced items. These are a result of trial and error, such as the chicken nuggets. However, all the food must be able to be bought in bulk, must not spoil and must be freezable. For this food, the stand has a microwave, a slow cooker, a counter oven, an air fryer, and a refrigerator, as well as storage closets for inventory.
