Purple Haze
Class competition brings charity
By Elizabeth Thomas

November 18, 2010

With Christmas in the back of everyone’s mind, students anxiously look forward to that six-day Thanksgiving vacation next week. Some of us, including myself, desperately need a little R&R, but others this week are still going strong by contributing in two of Northern’s most exciting charities. Powderpuff football and the badminton tournament are two events that raise money for those in need while also giving students a chance for healthy competition.

Powderpuff football is an annual event that separates the junior and senior girls for a game of intense flag football. Some of you may know that the event wrapped up last week, and the juniors beat the seniors 21-6. The total money raised was around $1300 which, according to senior Jenna Smith, was their highest amount yet. All of the funds go to The Four Diamonds, which is an organization established to assist children being treated for cancer.

The annual badminton tournament is an event in which students can form teams at $10 per person and play against other student teams. In preparation for the matches, teams created colorful t-shirts that displayed their team names in bright fabric paint. Seniors Emily McGraw, Stephen Shovel, and Brian Zagoric were in charge of the project, and the money raised goes to C.O.C.I.N.A., (Coalition of Children in Need Association), which is an organization created to help establish Christian-based private schools in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. The tournament took place in the high school gym on Tuesday, Nov. 16, and everyone who played claimed it was a lot of fun.

Thanks to the Northern students that participated in these events, a difference will be made in several lives this Thanksgiving. As the holiday approaches, I encourage everyone to take advantage of this season of giving and brighten the lives of others by giving back to the community.