It’s no secret that our school’s books are not in the best state. Many are missing covers or pages, and some are bad enough to be molding on the inside. Senior Connor Fries’ senior project was to host a fundraiser at Barnes and Noble on March 3 in order to raise money to replace certain books in the English curriculum. Customers who showed up with a flier could donate money and books, and every purchase they made gave a percentage of the profit to Sahuaro.

The Paper Cut staff was there from 9 am to 4 pm. From 1 to 3, band and color guard performed inside and outside the store to lure more customers in. They were widely successful and a huge hit with the crowd; some just sat and watched them perform.

The fundraiser turned out to be a huge success for Sahuaro. With just book sales, we will be receiving 20% of the $4,400 earned, on top of online sales and donations. With the money, we will be working to fully replace copies of Frankenstein and 1984, as well as copies of To Kill a Mockingbird, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Night, and Romeo and Juliet.

There were a few issues, such as not enough posters being ordered to put up. On top of that, the wrong school name was printed on the posters and there was no setup when everyone showed up. However, the managers, Jessica and Julie, were incredibly helpful in getting everything ready. Several teachers showed up to give their support, while math teacher, Mrs. Stedman, generously donated ten books to the English department.

Connor is planning on hosting another fundraiser on May 12, as Sahuaro is still in great need of the above classics (if anyone would like to donate books, please feel free to drop off copies in the front office and ask to have them delivered to Ms. Lange, The Paper Cut sponsor).

“It was definitely a learning experience,” Connor said. “It pushed me to do things I never really would do.”