Screen-printing Fundraiser
![Screen-printed t-shirt with 'I [heart] Welly High' on it](/teaching-snapshot/Y12-13-Senior/images/whs-screen-print-3.JPG)
Level: Year 12-13
School: Wellington High School
Teacher: Kylie Merrick
Category: Promotional/fundraising activity
Fundraising for the Wellington High School 2007 Technology trip to Europe led to the establishment of a screen-printing enterprise which has continued production into 2009.
Fashion Technology teacher Kylie Merrick and Food Technology teacher Marietjie van Schalkwyk had co-ordinated fundraising efforts as their students worked to pay for the trip.
Kylie had often done screen printing with her classes and thought that this could be a fundraiser she could easily assist with, and another way to promote her subject. She sketched some designs and consulted a range of students on whether they thought screen printed T-shirts would be a viable fundraiser, and what they thought of the proposed designs. Kylie got positive feedback from girls and boys at all levels, so started production with help from a small group of students going on the trip. She had sourced some good quality T-shirts and ink so felt justified in selling them at $30, a comparable price to similar clothing sold in down-town shops.
The initial run, featuring 'I ♥ Welly High', was very popular and Kylie's team was soon producing more. She attributes some of the success to Wellington High being a non-uniform school and students enjoying the opportunity to display their school spirit in the community, noting that some of her students made a point of wearing their Welly High shirts when working on a project outside the school.
Requests for T-shirts soon came in from various school groups, such as sports teams and cultural clubs, followed by demand for other items of apparel – when the ski team asked for arm bands, needed for identification on the ski field, Kylie made some from stretchable fabric so that they would fit all sizes and could be re-used.
The screen printing enterprise has successfully continued and is currently fundraising for the 2009 Technology trip to Europe. Some students have taken the skills and what they have learnt from the screen-printing fundraiser and have bought their own equipment and started to do their own enterprise at home.
