Students win with community bingo at Waterford District High School

Community members can collect cash but students also win through bingos held at Waterford District High School.

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“We’ve made some improvements,” said WDHS teacher Jen Thompson, who spearheaded the school’s first fundraising bingo last May.

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A new Helping Hands Committee has been formed and its mission goes beyond “supporting students extracurriculars.”

The new committee’s vision is “to address financial barriers for individual students or student groups to ensure equitable participation in the WDHS student experience.”

That means covering the cost of student and athletic fees for students in need. It means providing student spirit wear so that cost is not a barrier to showing school spirit. It means investing in student clubs.

Four bingo fundraisers have been booked for 2023-24, including the September opener and the upcoming Nov. 29 bingo. Future bingos are in January and March.

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“We’ve also got a lot of student involvement in running it, too, and we’ve given out a lot of student volunteer hours. It’s been really, really good for the school.”

So far, the committee has approved about $1,500 toward those goals, and more applications are in the process of being approved.

“We’re really trying to use the money, and we’re really proud of that,” said Thompson.

“We’re also pulling out all the stops and really working towards investing in the bingo experience for participants as well.”

One of the 50-50 bingo prizes was donated back to the school. The money was invested into a new gymnasium sound system.

“It improves the overall experience,” said Thompson.

“People are coming together around the bingo and I’m really proud of that.

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About 300-350 people attended the 2023-24 season opening bingo in September. They had seating set up for 420, so it was nearly a sellout. The 50-50 prize was $965.

“It’s worth your time to come and play bingo,” she laughed. “It’s just a mix of people. It’s a great experience, just absolutely fantastic. People have fun. It’s just a good show – some hard-core bingo players, some just having a good time.”

Doors open for the next WDHS bingo on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 5 pm and games begin at 6 pm

A Howie’s Wok ‘N Go food truck will be on site serving food starting at 4 p.m.

“It’s a really good vibe,” Thompson said.

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Waterford District High School is planning to hold an online auction so that members of the community can own their own piece of WDHS nostalgia.

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The school plans to auction vintage uniforms and team pennants, which are currently in storage.

“We are hoping they go out to people who truly value and appreciate them,” said Thompson, noting no firm auction details have been established yet.

“We’ve found some boxes of old uniforms and pennants… old stuff. We take out one or two for displays, but what do you do with the other 28 old jerseys?

“So we’re working towards an online auction and broadcasting it out to the people of Waterford, ‘Get a taste of history, a piece of school history.’ That’s the plan – we are hoping they go to people who will truly value and appreciate them. Once we get something locked down, then we’ll go through what we need to keep and what needs to find a new home.”

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Seedy Saturday on Jan. 20, an open pollenated seed exchange, will be a new initiative at Waterford District High School in 2024.

The plan is to use a Seeds of Diversity template for an afternoon of seed training and workshops.

After polling social media sites asking about interest, Thompson said at least 50-60 people, so far, have committed to bringing seeds to trade.

“They have to be your seeds,” she noted. “You label the seeds, maybe 10-20 seeds in a little envelope or satchel, then you can trade for seed envelopes from other people. It’s kind of a niche seed swap.”

With volunteers from the school’s Green Industries tech class, the 12:30-3:30 pm community event will be open to local gardeners, seed savers, and people who just love plants.

“It’s going to make connections, bring people into the school.”

Seed exchanges are typically not fundraising events, she said, but they plan to ask for donations to the local food bank. There will also be space for Generations Marketplace, local horticultural societies, and heritage seed companies.

“It’s kind of a niche thing, but the people who do it are very passionate about it.”

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