By: Jessica Gambin
The concept of the CTK's school activity fee seemed to be confusing to some students in our school community. To explain what this fee involves, I spoke with Christ the King's very own principal, Ms.Vasile. In this article, I will be talking about what the activity fee is, why we have an activity fee, when you can pay for it, where you can pay for it and more.
What does the Activity Fee Support?
The activity fee is a $65.00 payment that can be paid for each individual CTK student. Now you may be thinking, that’s great and all, but what am I paying for exactly?’ Well, it is used for many different things that occur at CTK. From certain school events to clubs, awards, and guest speakers. A percentage of the money you pay has been used for pink day, transportation, banquets (Art and Athletic banquets), entry fees, charity, school band/choir equipment and athletics (team uniforms, referee fee, medals, etc.). It also helps to support the musical with props/costumes, the student council and that’s not even the half of it! It helps support a lot of the extracurriculars that keep us students going. Our interests, talents, ambitions and drives to get us out of bed every morning can be heavily supported by a student’s activity fee. Whether you’re athletic, artistic, a writer, or vocal, the activity fee goes towards initiatives that can positively affect you in a big way.
The Yearbook
Another percentage of the money goes towards the Yearbook. $35.00 of the $65.00 payment is used to pay for a student's yearbook. Not only would you have bought yourself a book full of amazing school memories to look back on, but you would also be helping to support the yearbook class itself. If you weren’t already aware, CTK has a class dedicated to making a book each year at CTK. Every year, the class puts in a great amount of effort to create a well thought out yearbook page by page and photo by photo. Having to make over 100 pages of fun filled memories takes a tremendous amount of planning, diligence, and ambition.
What Happens if the Activity Fee is not Paid?
What are the repercussions if not enough people pay their activity fee? Ms. Vasile stated, they will have to decide what will and what will not receive funding. There could be the option of not creating a yearbook or not having a yearbook class anymore. There is also a good chance they might have to stop offering extras like fun school events, trips and clubs.
When Can I Pay for My Activity Fee?
The payment for your activity fee starts as soon as you have completed and submitted your course selection. When it is officially handed in, then you are asked if you would like to pay for the activity fee for the following school year. It is preferred that the activity fee be paid by the first day of school however, the school will take it whenever.
Is the Activity Fee Mandatory?
The activity fee itself is NOT a mandatory payment and is not a requirement for any student in Ontario. This fee was mandatory until the Ontario provincial government made it voluntary, meaning, if you are financially unable to pay for the activity fee, it is completely optional. Additionally, the activity fee is a board-wide initiative. The payment is given to all students at every school that is contained under the HCDSB school board for the same price. If you wish to pay for the activity fee, you can do so on School Cash Online. In the words of Ms.Vasile, “All the money, every penny, goes back to the students”.
For more specific details on how the activity fee supports CTK students, please feel free to use this link directed to the Christ the King web page for an official list (over 50 examples): https://secondary.hcdsb.org/ctk/student-activity-fee/
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