Every year, the IB Parent Council (IBPC) sells merchandise to fund scholarships for the program’s graduating seniors, host events, and support Midlo’s IB Program as a whole. This year, the traditional store, which involved taking orders, shipping a large purchase, and distributing the items in person, has transformed into an online Bonfire store. 

Mrs. Annette Ruzicka, president of the IBPC, ran the previous store, which was little more than a Google Form or paper form where families could place orders for IB products. This method was ineffective and inconvenient for the IBPC, as the program leaders had to jump through hoops to deliver products to everyone who had ordered them. This year, with the Bonfire store, products will be shipped directly to those who purchase.

The IB Parent Council has planned for the new store since July 2020. The designs for this year’s merchandise were voted on by over 100 people, and the winning designs are featured on the website. IBPC Grade 12 Parent Representative and Intercultural Engagement Committee chair Anina Witherow and Information Technology Committee chair Bobby Holliday created the winning designs. Witherow created this year’s Winter design, while Holliday designed the winning Classic and Senior options.

With the old model, the IBPC saw disappointing merchandise sales. “We ended up spending IBPC money to purchase more shirts than were ordered. It worked out in the end because we were able to sell the extra shirts we had purchased, so our organization was not out any money,” Ruzicka said. The IBPC hopes to solve that problem through Bonfire because products are sold individually, rather than in large quantities.

The IBPC sells shirts and other products to “help unify and nurture our community,” Ruzicka said. To support the IB community please visit their Bonfire store.