The senior class got a glimpse of success today when they reached their senior gift donation goal.

With the efforts of English teacher Michael Carriger, National Honors Society and senior class representatives the donation process concluded today after reaching the $3,300 goal.

The gift is a framed autograph by American poet Walt Whitman signed in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1879.

Work has begun to order the gift. Carriger and the seniors are hoping to present it at the senior awards night Tuesday, May 5.

Bauman Rare Books, the company selling the framed signature, initially cut the cost for LHS.

“If you see it on the website, it says $4,000,” Carriger said. “We have been promised it, since we are an institution, for $3,300. If you take off the $1,000 that the senior class has donated, that’s $2,300.”

Donation collection began in late March, but really kicked off after press and social media coverage.

“It went very quickly,” Carrier said. “After both The Budget’s article and the Journal World’s article and some of the online stuff we did on Twitter and Facebook, the community just came through. We had letters and checks in the mail the day after all of that. Both students in classes and teachers in the building contributed as well.”

Now their only worry is where it’s going to go.

“We’re not sure [where it will go],” Carriger said. “Selfishly, I’d love to have it in the English hallway so I could see it absolutely every day. But it makes some sense also, someone talked about putting it in the library and having a little space for reading and add to it over the years. That made a lot of sense to me.”

Wherever it is, Carriger hopes to have it displayed proudly in the school to remind students of Lawrence’s history in the arts.

“I would really like it to be somewhere out in the open, protected, but out in the open so that anyone who enters our building can see it,” he said. “That the community could come in and see it and connect to history and connect to the literary history that sort of happened in Lawrence for two days.”