Outside open double doors in the side of the 3000 building, students gather as they wait for their turn to exchange cash for ice cream. The one buying watches as one of the band teachers, Ms. Isabelle Antoine or Ms. Kimberly Imerbsin, opens the freezer and takes out their ice cream of choice; then, they pay and walk away with a delicious treat.
The question is, why do the band teachers sell ice cream after school every day? The practice began 2010 when they first sold ice cream to fundraise for the Fine Arts Festival. Afterwards, Ms. Imerbsin asked her superior if they could continue, and she received approval. Though the teachers now sell water balloons for the Fine Arts Festival, they offer ice cream every afternoon after school lets out to this day.
Their purpose is simple: the money from selling ice cream goes to the band fund, which Ms. Imerbsinn and Ms. Antoine spend on their students. Usually, this takes the form of a year-end banquet after the band students’ state performance. The band didn’t qualify for state competition until 2013, when the teachers started the tradition, though with smaller, cheaper dinners they could afford. Initially, they were making a mere $700 or $800 a year; since then, however, the business has grown to make thousands.
Ultimately, the business is dedicated to the students.
“[The students] chose to be in band. It’s not an easy elective, because it does require a lot of outside activities … things the school asks for. ‘Can you do a pep rally? Can you do a parade? Can you do a performance?’ They’re the ones that are asked to do it out of their time. If they’re dedicated enough to make it work, I can dedicate 15 minutes of my day to sell ice cream,” Ms. Imerbsin said.
“Seeing the kids put in a lot of work makes it easy to reciprocate that because they’re worth it,” Ms. Antoine said.
“I’m devoted to them because they’re devoted to me,” Ms. Imbersin said.
Sophomore bassoonist Victor Santos expressed his gratitude for their efforts:
“They show their appreciation in selling ice cream, spending their time after school to do this for us and I think we’re all grateful for them,” he said.
Ms. Antoine sells a Bomb Pop as students wait their turn to buy ice cream. Formerly, students sold the ice cream, but because “they [would be] raising money to fund themselves,” Ms. I said, and the teachers couldn’t ensure accountability for the business, according to Ms. Antoine, the band teachers adopted the role of ice cream vendor. (Photo/Alex Ngo)
