NEW ULM – The New Ulm Fine Arts Booster presented their year one achievements during the School Board Study Session Thursday.

To begin the presentation, Booster President Laura Schotzko gave everyone in attendance a quiz on the fine arts programs supported by the booster. Board members were quizzed on what the school’s mascot is holding (a lamp), where robotics went for their major competition (University of Minnesota), and what musical they did this year (Hunchback of Notre Dame).

Schotzko said this first year was a feeling-out process, and thanked the athletic boosters for their help in getting started. This didn’t stop the boosters from helping out students throughout the year. They helped subsidize t-shirt costs for drama and band members and poured $4,600 into acquiring two new digital pianos.

The boosters also helped get students new opportunities. Three were sent to the Music Listening Contest, which teaches students about classical music via global perspectives and several musical influences. Drum-line was entered into the Parade of Lights, and the booster provided the needed supplies.

Schotzko said she was most proud of the inquiry policy the boosters developed for all-state band and choir.

“[We find out] if there’s a student who qualifies,” she said. “There are very selective things that you can qualify for that I didn’t know existed. If they qualify and they expressed financial needs, we developed a policy to fund 75% of that. We also set up guidelines for how to display need.”

Through this policy, Schotzko said they will be able to sponsor a student’s attendance at an all-state camp this summer.

Looking toward the future, Schotzko said they retained all of the booster’s board members for next year. She said they raised $6,000 at this year’s summer showcase and continued to spread the word about their existence. Through this, Schotzko said she has fielded inquiries about potential instrument donations.