Pay to Pie: StuCo raises money for the Johnson County Christmas Bureau

To raise money for the Johnson County Christmas Bureau, one of five staff members selected by the students will have a pie smashed in their face at the pep assembly on Feb. 9.

Each November, canned food and monetary donations are given to JCCB to help families fund their needs during the holiday season. This year, an estimated 500 cans and approximately $6,000 were collected.

Student Body President and junior Jack Kessler led and organized the canned food drive. According to Kessler, total donations decreased this year.

“We had lower [donations] than previous years,” Kessler said. “We are still experiencing coming out of COVID and getting people involved.”

In an attempt to raise additional funds for the JCCB, StuCo came up with the idea for a pie in the face fundraiser where students can vote on a staff member to get “pied.” Choir teacher Ken Foley, SROs Seth Meyer and Tony Woolen, math teacher Monique Goodeyon and Associate Principal Kristoffer Barikmo are all in the running.

For the past two weeks, students have had the opportunity to vote for the staff member they want to see get pied in the face. Voting boxes were set out by the school office where students could insert money into a box marked with a staff member’s name on it. Although voting is currently over, Kessler expects the ballot boxes to reappear outside of the school office in the coming weeks.

“When we took the box and counted all the money it was very close and everyone was basically tied,” Kessler said. “So we need to put it back out and get one last push to see who will be the winner.”

StuCo members hope that the fundraiser will bring in even more funds to make up for the lack of participation in November’s can drive. Special Events Chair and Junior Class Representative Abi Limbird has seen what exactly the money goes towards by volunteering at the JCCB in December.

“You’re just meeting new people that you never would have because we live in a community that’s pretty well off,” Limbird said. “I feel like I wouldn’t usually interact with these people because we’re not in the same social circle.”