Middleton High School has one of the premier athletic programs in the state. The Cardinal Booster Club aims to keep it that way, no matter how tight the school district’s budgets get.
Mardi Gras, the booster club’s annual fundraiser, will take place Saturday from 8 p.m. until midnight at the Marriott, 1313 John Q. Hammons Dr., Middleton.
Anjie Harris-Ostrem, one of the event’s organizers, said Mardi Gras serves as both a festive respite from the long winter and an essential yearly fundraiser for 28 different Middleton High School athletic teams.
Two years ago the booster club donated $114,000 to MHS programs, but that number was down to $110,000 last year. MHS athletic director Bob Joers said his department’s annual budget remains flat from year to year. As a result, the booster club’s role is growing increasingly important.