SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. -- Sun Prairie's Education Foundation, working alongside the Sun Prairie Area School District, is in the middle of offering naming rights for various parts of the new high school.

School officials said they hope community members have enough school spirit to make their mark on the new facility.

For example, a $35,000 donation put Hallman Lindsay Paints Inc. on the gymnasium scoreboards. There have been no takers yet on the school's $250,000 naming rights to the field house, but school officials said the endowment campaign has already brought in more than $400,000.

Students roaming the halls of Sun Prairie High School might start their day in the Tubbs Family classroom or pick something up at the Curtis Sheehan Administrative Office.

Or they might meet up with friends at the Fenske Courtyard. It's named after Glenn Fenske, who made a $50,000 donation to the Sun Prairie naming rights endowment.

"I've been very active the community involvement and especially education," Fenske said. "It'd be Courtyard 1 or Courtyard 2 otherwise. So now it's going to be the Fenske Courtyard or the Conom Courtyard."

Fenske is not only a donor, he's also part of the group looking to trade donations for naming rights.

"We're at about $400,000 now. We really think it's very attainable (to get to) $1 million. And if we can get $1 million in endowment, we can take $50,000 a year and give this back to the kids," Fenske said.

"Are districts forced to look at other avenues for money? Absolutely. Everything from naming rights, to increased fees, to referendum. It's very tough for school districts right now to raise money," said Phil Frei, of the Sun Prairie Area School District.

District officials said naming rights for larger venues like the field house are still up for grabs, but organizers said they are hopeful school pride will prevail.

"If we don't have a good educational system, our kids are our future. We can't invest enough in them," Fenske said.

"We don't have money for everything. We don't have money for all the clubs; we don't have money for all motivational speakers. We just don't have the funding for that," Frei said.

Motivational speakers, club field trips and college prep tools are just a few examples of what this endowment will help fund.

And these funds will be for K-12 programs. School officials say the donations will not affect school finances generated by taxpayer dollars. It will serve as an independent fund through the Sun Prairie Education Foundation.

Naming rights for performing arts center and the pool are also still up for grabs at $250,000.

But for $100, donors will be able to name seats in the performing arts center or the field house.