According to Orchestra director Kou Lee, the idea to hold a fundraiser in Barnes and Noble was started by Ms. Edgar.

“That was set up before I got here, Ms. Edgar set that up a while ago so it’s been a thing,” Lee said.

Freshman Thomas Hanson said the money made from the donations are used for students who require aid

“Some kids in Orchestra like to play music but their families are not to financially stable and so we have instruments that we can just give them to play,” Hanson said. “We use the extra money to fund field trips.”

Lee said the gift wrapping is one of her favorite ways to raise money for Orchestra.

“For me it’s one of my favorite(s) because students get all the money that (is) given or donated to them as tips,” Lee said. “Instead of selling stuff and getting only fifty percent of it or something.”

According to Lee, the fundraiser is to raise money for the orchestra program’s trip to Nashville in 2020.

“(Ms. Edgar) did a survey with both the seventh graders who were going to become eighth graders and the eighth graders because once the eighth graders come here they become ninth graders and they can go on the trip,” Lee said. “The survey included them and their parents, and the high school students and their parents, and they chose Nashville.”

Freshman orchestra member Asher Danicic said the gift wrapping has been successful so far.

“The fundraiser has been pretty good,” Danicic said. “A lot of my friends have gone over the weekends and I have gone once during the week.”

According to Lee, the fundraiser is after school and on weekends until Dec. 24 at the Barnes & Noble at the Calhoun Village Shopping Center.

“The fundraiser, it started about a week ago and it goes until December 24th,” Lee said. “Students gift wrap for between two to four hours.”