19/04/2026
*Warning, this is long*
Hi! This Jenn Hamlet, one of the PTA’s VPs. I am writing for the PTA officers and posting here, on our FB page. First, I would like to acknowledge a few people: Our President, Becky, for her commitment to our teachers and students. She has come up with some amazing ways to spend the money the PTA has raised. Our committee chairwoman, Andrea, who helped organize the event and solicited for donations. Her mom, Gigi, who stayed with us all weekend assisting behind the scenes. Our treasurer, Jackie, who diligently counted money and kept our budget on target. Lastly, our senior parent, Tara, for gathering the class of 2026 parents together to help produce an amazing event. The GBE proceeds mainly support Project Graduation and leftover funds go towards improvements to the two schools, scholarships, teacher events, and assemblies.
With all of this being said, I would also like to address the many ignorant comments that have been posted. Ignorant means not knowing. So, for everyone who doesn’t know what it takes to run the event, here are some things:
1. Since January, volunteers have spent at least 6 hours a week organizing and wrapping donations.
2. Volunteers have gone to businesses around town and surrounding areas to solicit donations. This starts in September.
3. Starting today, we plan for next year’s event. We look at what needs improvement and what worked. One
thing that has worked for the last several years is having this hybrid event. We have taken several surveys and overwhelmingly, people like to come in and not feel pressured when putting in for their baskets. They like that it’s casual. They like that they can go home and watch OR just check their email to see if they won. They like that they can come back the next day and claim their prize. Bottom line, they like it this way!
4. Leading up the event, the time that our volunteers donate doubles each week and on the weekend of the event, let’s just say about 50 of the 72 hours are spent at the high school. That’s a lot of time and we don’t mind because it’s for the good of our community, schools, and teachers.
5. Today’s world is tech savvy, but we are also cognizant that some people have trouble. The PTA accommodates anyone who asks for help. We send multiple emails and FB posts to make sure that everyone knows about the event. On the day of, there are signs everywhere and verbal explanation is given. During that night, instructions are repeated numerous times. Numbers are triple checked, a pdf is made, and emails are sent. Of course, we cannot control the numerous emails that are sent back because the user typed in their wrong address. As I say to my own students, “I can lead you to the water, but I can’t make you drink it!”
6. On the day of pick up, we organize our student volunteers and do our best to hand out 500 winning baskets. We appreciate all of the winners who come in happy to get their prizes. It’s our pleasure to hand them to you and we thank you for supporting us! During this time, we get ready for next year by taking things out of frames, breaking down easels and tables, and recycling the baskets. Unfortunately, some winners do not claim their prizes and we have to do a redraw. Is it surprising, yes! Is it annoying, a little because that extends our day, but it’s part of the job! We try our best to stick to the timeline of the live feed, but as we know, life happens. Today, we wanted to make sure we had everything organized and ready for a seamless 2nd drawing. That took more time than anticipated. But, once we got rolling, it went smoothly. We read the tickets and I personally went up to each one and showed them again. Behind the scenes, using the number given, we called those who won to arrange pickup. Thankfully, we were able to wipe the slate clean of leftover baskets. At around 4 we were able to head home after a long, but rewarding weekend.
So, if you got this far, the PTA just wants to say that we appreciate YOU- the people that support us by donating your time and money and items and who come to our events. Do we make mistakes? Of course we do, and that’s okay. Do we get our feelings hurt? Of course we do, and honestly, that’s not okay. What’s okay is be a kind person and maybe acknowledge the hard work and effort of a group of volunteers who do it for free — Not for fame, money, or notoriety. To reiterate, a group that does it for the good of the Delran community, it’s teaching staff, and its students.
The PTA officers and committee people of the GBE are happy to announce that the book is closed on the 2026 GBE Under the Sea. Again, we thank all of you who supported this event. If you won, congrats! If you didn’t (like most of us), we are sorry and hope you come back next year and try again! For those of you who were not happy or had complaints, we appreciate you reaching out to us. Best of Luck to our seniors who will get to enjoy an amazing Project Graduation. Make good choices, do great things, and most importantly, be kind. ✌🏻
