Since 2009, the large room connected to the band room at OHS has been
a safe haven for students to come during their study halls, lunches,
and after school. This room - loosely christened "the band office" -
has been a home-away-from-home for countless teenagers who need a place
to study, discuss, decompress, eat and recreate on their lunch hour, and
be themselves without judgement. It is a place where all students are
welcome and all have a voice, a "third space:" not home, not traditional
school, but a third type of place to work comfortably.
While the
large table is the centerpiece of the room, the primary draw has always
been the presence of two couches, furnished by the band teacher.
Recently, in response to heightened district awareness and compliance
with fire code and the wishes of the Fire Chief, our beloved couches
have been removed from the office, leaving it bare and uninviting. But
all is not lost! We can replace them just so long as we do so with new
furniture, purchased from school specialty vendors, which meet the
stringent fire code requirements. This is where YOU come in!
We
want to bring back the comfortable and inviting atmosphere for which the
band office is well-known by replacing the old, unsafe furniture with
new, code-and-district-approved furniture. The specific vendors from
whom we must purchase the furniture have been identified by the
district. Within those parameters, we chose the lowest cost option that
fulfills our needs. The cost of each unit is about $700, plus
shipping; we will purchase two of them once the project is complete and
fully funded. If by chance the goal is exceeded, we will use remaining
funds to purchase new and more sturdy office chairs for students to use
with the center and surrounding tables. All funding beyond that will be
used to benefit OHS music students through the purchase of reeds, valve
oil, instruments, and other similar musical materials and equipment.
If we don't reach our full goal, the money will be used to buy one couch, or saved until we have enough to purchase what we need. Your contribution will be used for this purpose regardless of whether we make our goal this time around.
Thank you for supporting this project and for helping to provide a unique and comfortable work space for students at OHS!