Cost of student participation

PHOTO: Site budget manager Kate Prien prepares to look over the school funding and communicate with principal Bryce Geigle about school plans.

By Boyeon Choi

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff––

Students at Davis High are given equal opportunities to participate in school activities during the school year no matter what the cost of the activity is.  

Students who may require financial assistance are offered alternatives to participate, and many of the events planned by Student Government and ASB are purposefully inclusive.

At DHS, dance tickets are free for students who qualify for the national free or reduced lunch program. “We try to be discreet and respect their privacy… so they wait in line with everyone else and usually have a small special ticket or something like that,” ASB advisor and activities director Anthony Vasquez said. 

Funds for most dances and social events come from the annual fundraiser the ASB has at the beginning of the school year: ASB cards. “We allow students with ASB cards to attend events at a lower price so that there’s an incentive to buy [the ASB card],” Vasquez said.

Additionally, when planning for social events, one of the main things in mind for the student government is inclusivity and participation. Themes are chosen for accessibility during spirit weeks, such as not having to buy any new clothes to wear in order to participate. 

“As an elected officer [in student government], we are representing all the students,” junior class vice president Grace Fabionar said. “We know what students want and need, and all these things are in mind when planning events.” 

The funding the school receives from the district is categorized into two: restricted funds and unrestricted funds. “[It’s] roughly about 95% restricted funds, and 5% of unrestricted funds,” principal Bryce Geigle said. Restricted funds are put into the different departments and costs of people, such as employee salaries and benefits. 

“Unrestricted funds are left to the discretion of the principal, to be used for what’s best,” administrative assistant and site budget manager Kate Prien said. 

There are many opportunities for students to take part in athletics and sports at DHS. With approximately 60-70% of DHS students participating in school sports, DHS has higher participation of students compared to the national average of 57% of the student body participating, according to EducationWeek. 

Athletics are free to all students in DJUSD and the only requirements to join and try out for a sport are for students to be full-time students and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA by California Interscholastic Federation rules. 

Outside of school, there are also many Davis sports clubs and organizations, like DARTS swimming.

“Although it varies by group, the requirements [to join] is for swimmers to meet minimum swim standards and age requirements,” head age group coach Carolee Gregg said. “At DARTS, we have a place for everybody.” 

For the past 20 years, DARTS has provided financial aid for families by offering scholarships for those that qualify. “For the families that don’t qualify for the scholarship, but still need financial assistance, we work out a plan,” Gregg said. “We don’t want to deny anyone participation based on their financial status.”