Rachel Carson Middle School’s Cheesecake Factory fundraiser, which ended Oct. 28, raised money for the school and essential programs that were not currently funded through traditional means, and it was a huge success.

“We overshot the goal of $25,000, and we are very close to $30,000.” Tias Kundu, Vice President of the PTA said. She largely approves of the fundraiser’s results.

A variety of sweets and snacks were offered to make the fundraiser more fun, partnering with the Cheesecake Factory and Mrs. Fields. Some traditional favorites went on the menu like cheesecakes, cookies and many more snacks.

Students were given a poll, and the most liked treats in order are Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, and Rainbow cookies.

Some students prefer some of the lesser known treats.

“I like the Jalapeno Pepper poppers. Everything else was too much money and there was too much of it, and would probably give you diabetes,” Arya Reddy said.

The RCMS Parent Teacher Association, or PTA, chose the Cheesecake Factory because of the many items they had to offer, delivery speed and prices from $22 all the way up to $30.

There were many students who did participate in the fundraiser. Arya, a seventh-grader on Team Legacy, was one of the many students who participated in the fundraiser and helped RCMS achieve its goal. 

“I wanted to participate because people in my neighborhood don’t normally eat at the Cheesecake Factory, and I just wanted to participate,” Arya said. “I sold food to about 10 houses, not including my own.”

Arya said that she likes learning to talk to people and connecting with them.

“I would like to do more fundraisers if my parents let me, but I will probably do them only if they have something to do with bake sales or something along those lines.”

Some students didn’t participate in the fundraiser.

Charu Ejjagiri, a seventh-grader on team Champions, thought that some items were a little over her budget.

“I didn’t participate, because the items would be considered overpriced in my neighborhood, and nobody would buy them.”

Charu doesn’t exactly know if she will end up participating in future fundraisers, but if it is something like the Cheesecake Factory Fundraiser, she will not be selling.

According to the PTA, the fundraiser was a sweet success. However, Ms. Kundu thinks the fundraiser could have had an even better outcome if we made some improvements.

“I think one thing that can help to do differently is that we could have started the fundraiser earlier in the year, such as the first week of school,” Ms. Kundu said. “This way, more money would have been earned.”