The following letter is from a person who attended the East High Alumni Reverse Raffle.

School Spirit

School spirit is not something I’ve been known to have. I never bought school ‘team’ shirts, I never went to games or dances, and, though I did graduate, I did not even attend my own high school graduation. I’m twenty three now which means I’ve been out of High School for five years. Out of those five years I spent three or four living on my own, moving, changing jobs, and living paycheck to paycheck. Then one day, out of the blue, things started going my way, I found a great job that paid well, an amazing apartment, and I made a few new friends along the way. One of these friends is named George Tonies, George is the head of the East High School Alumni Association, a group dedicated to financially supporting programs and projects to help the school staff have the necessities to increase the experiences of their students and improve their education. The hope and overall goal of the association is to improve the learning experience and atmosphere in the schools, setting a tone for success for the rest of the lives of their students. This is an organization for students, by past students.

In their most recent fundraising effort George and the Association held a reverse raffle event at Guys Party Center on Waterloo road, in Akron. This event featured several raffles with prizes from t-shirts, to cold hard cash with the largest prize for a ticket buyer was $2,000! This opportunity was paired with a buffet dinner and open bar for a $60 dollar donation to the association. George offered me a ticket, and I jumped at the chance. If having an open bar and winning money count as “making a positive difference” I can basically be counted on anytime.

So on Thursday, February 23rd I attended the event with my neighbors and their parents looking to win some money. In the midst of it all, and after I’d lost the big prize, I looked around the room at all these wonderful people, the members of the association, their friends, their families.  I envied them for joining together to make a difference for East High School. Perhaps it was the drinks, but in this moment, I realized something. I realized that I too, was making a difference in the lives of future generations of students. I realized that I could do more. I realized that donating to a cause can be a lot of fun, and I realized that by paying for food, drinks, and a good time I was also helping fund a school, and, in the very least, improving the life of even just one student. I was inspired, I was proud, and I had discovered and felt school pride for a school in which I had never attended, never even set foot inside. The motto of East High School is “Spirit Wins”, and that cold Thursday night was a shining example of the victories that spirit can achieve. George and the association were able to raise over $8000.00 that night and in doing so improve the education of countless students. The supplies that can be provided by these charity events are limitless, and I hope to see more take place.

Pride in your school means pride in your community, and when a community joins together to help itself, good things happen. I love my city, and so I must love its schools. I want Akron to produce bright individuals and in doing so produce a bright future. I wish the best for all East High School students and alumni, and I eagerly await my next opportunity to help this school achieve greatness. Go Dragons!

Russ Ury
New East High Supporter!