My name is Kaley Niette and I am a junior and a student in the full IB program. As president of Garland High School’s Youth and Government delegation, I am writing to let readers of ‘The Garland Texan’ know about our fundraising campaign as well as our increased efforts to interact with the community.
Within the state of Texas, there are participants in the Legislative, Judicial, State Affairs, and Media sections. Youth and Government is affiliated with the YMCA. Throughout the year, we are responsible for upholding the Y Core Values of Respect, Responsibility, Caring, and Honesty as we write bills or proposals, prepare trial cases, or work in the section of journalists that operate as our media corps. This program is centered around leadership and civil service. We strive to improve ourselves so that we can one day go forward to improve our state and country. By educating ourselves and those around us on the principles and necessities of democracy, we hope to better our futures.
This was an exceptional year for our school, the White Rock YMCA and our region. This year, the Garland High School team was incredibly successful: at our local invitational, my partner and I won 2nd place as a chair/ clerk team overseeing legislative hearing committees. At the regional level, one of our delegates was named a Distinguished Delegate, our Judge was named the Top Judge from our region, and my partner and I were named the Top Chair/ Clerk Team in our region. At the state level, where we competed for four days at the state capitol in Austin, Texas, my team was recognized as a Premier Delegation, a very distinguished honor which requires all of our team mates to meet standards of excellence throughout the entirety of the year. My partner and I were named the Top Chair/ Clerk Team in the state of Texas.
We are currently fundraising for our spring banquet and for competition costs for next year. We have very little in terms of a budget–our program is largely underrepresented, and most of our members are also involved in honor societies, well-known and high-ranked academic programs such as IB and AP, and other extra-curricular activities such as band, orchestra, or speech and debate. Without a booster club, most of the fees of our program fall on the shoulders of our parents. Whatever we cannot fundraise, w
e rely on our families for financial assistance and the White Rock YMCA scholarships.
I can speak to the dedication and diligence of my team. We spend every spare moment of our time researching and preparing for competition. This is a program promoting values that are necessary to the future of our country, and we very much want to provide our students and their families with both the end of year celebration (and the financial relief for next year’s season) that they deserve.
If you would like to donate to the White Rock YMCA, where these funds will also benefit our team, I have included the link. There are 15 members of our team, so even though the goal on my fundraising page is only $500, we need to raise much more than that as a whole. The fees necessary for our program are roughly $500 per person each year, and we hope to grow our team considerably between now and next school year. Please make sure to select the White Rock YMCA when the page asks for the specific YMCA. When asked for a campaigner, please put my name (Kaley Niette).
The fundraising link is https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/US/KaleyNiette.