Initiatives and Accomplishments
Letter From Our President
August 1, 2023
Dear Bulldog Families:
In less than 2 weeks the Churchill Bulldogs will be back in action, starting with fall season sports tryouts! The Booster Club is ready to welcome all our new and returning Bulldog families to the 2023-24 school year. We hope you will join us in supporting the Washington Post’s #5 Best Public High School Sports Program in Maryland through our culture of active membership, enthusiastic volunteers, and successful fundraising!
The Churchill Bulldogs had another stellar year of deep playoff runs, titles at the division, county, regional, metro, and state levels, school records by individual athletes and teams, and an impressive list of awards and accolades for our athletes, teams, and coaches. Churchill’s #5 ranking among Maryland public high school sports programs by the Washington Post is a testament to the dedication and talent of our Athletic Department, coaching staff, athletic trainer, and student-athletes, and the unparalleled level of support from the administration, staff, and teachers, and, of course, from all of us in the Churchill community.
Thanks to our generous Churchill community, the Booster Club was able to contribute nearly $40,000 to Churchill Athletics last year, funding requests for updated team equipment, scoreboard repairs, field and court maintenance, new uniforms, supplies, and equipment for our athletic trainer, and other essential needs so our teams could compete safely and to their highest potential. In addition to approving every funding request last year, the Booster Club voted to fund projects that the teams did not themselves request, such as new logo swim caps for the Swim & Dive teams. The 2022-23 Board also approved funding the purchase of wall-mounted “record boards,” which will be installed in the hallway outside the main gymnasium to highlight school records by our athletes on the Swim & Dive, Cross-Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track, and Wrestling teams.
The Booster Club funded projects this year with the intention of having every team that MCPS permits the Athletic Department to support directly benefit from one or more projects, regardless of whether the team uses school facilities or competes and practices off-site. In addition, the Booster Club gave the teams a total of $9,000, representing a percentage of the membership and sponsorship donations attributable to the athletes rostered on each team.
Volunteers, including many of you, enabled us to staff the concession stands, sell fan gear at home varsity football games and Back to School Night, coordinate photo ops of senior athletes signing the Senior Wall, maintain our informative website, and post on social media important sports information for Bulldog families, photos, and accomplishments, and solicit local businesses to partner with Churchill as corporate sponsors. This year, we were able to bring back our popular Bulldog Bash and silent auction for the first time since 2019 at a new location that earned rave reviews from all who attended. Despite the unintended scheduling conflict with the Girls Basketball State Championship game, the Bash became a boisterous watch party, and all eyes were on our amazing Lady Bulldogs as they played their hearts out. Nonetheless, the Bash was a memorable evening, and the Bash will not be scheduled during Championship Week again!
It is now time to kick off the 2023-24 Booster Club Membership campaign to support all our athletes and teams this school year. Your annual membership in the Booster Club is critical to ensuring that Bulldog sports have these necessary resources. The Booster Club works with the Athletic Department to ensure that our athletes have the necessary equipment and facilities to compete safely and at the highest possible level each year. The county provides Churchill with only a fraction of what it takes to support our sports teams. In a typical year, the athletics budget spent per athlete (per roster spot) at Churchill is approximately $220, yet the County’s contribution is less than $80. The Booster Club therefore plays a critical role in providing supplemental resources to help offset this shortfall.
Our goal is for all Bulldog families, on all our teams, to join the Booster Club this year and actively participate and volunteer. As an incentive, any team that achieves 100% membership participation from its families will receive a $300 bonus credited back to the team’s individual account. In addition, the Booster Club will donate 10% of each team’s membership revenue back to the team’s individual account. So, don’t wait, please join the Booster Club now and encourage other parents of returning and new athletes to join us in our membership campaign kick-off. Sign up here to join and support our Bulldogs!
We also depend on new and existing Corporate Sponsors who generously support our program. If you or a local business you know is interested in learning more about our stadium banner or indoor window pane advertising opportunities, please click here, and maximize this high-profile opportunity in time for the start of fall sports.
In addition, much of the Booster Club’s revenue is generated through the sales of gameday concessions at the Dawg Dish Concession Stands located in the Stadium and next to the main Gymnasium as well as fan gear through our School Store, both of which are run entirely by Booster Club volunteers. Volunteering through the Booster Club is not only a fun way to support your athletes and give back to Churchill, but it is also a great way to get to know other Bulldog families. Please contact us at wchsboosterclub@gmail.com if you’d like to get involved in any aspect of the Booster Club, and we hope to see all our Bulldog families volunteering in the concession stand this year. We cannot provide the critical support needed for our sports programs without your help.
Thank you in advance for your help and support. We look forward to kicking off the 2023-24 athletic school year in just a few weeks. Go Bulldogs!
Sincerely,
Bridget Calhoun Jesse Smith
President WCHS Athletics Specialist
WCHS Booster Club www.churchillathletics.com
wchsboosterpresident@gmail.com
www.churchillboosterclub.com