Swamp Fox News

Ashley Ridge Wins First Place In Lowcountry Food Drive

Thursday, November 17, 2011 By Lauren Leonard

This month Ashley Ridge High School is a champion school in more ways than one. While the football team won the region title against Fort Dorchester and beat Laurens High School in the first round of play-offs, the leadership class won the Lowcountry Food Drive for the second year in a row. The school has spent the last several weeks collecting cans in all third-period classes, as well as general locations on campus like the media center, the cafeteria, and other teachers classrooms that do not have a third period. Determined to defend their championship status, the leadership class also made the donations part of the athletics department. Instead of paying money to go watch a sports game, they made an option to donate cans available. The media center also initated deals with students to donate cans for forgiveness of fines. "I brought in five cans for Field Day and I gave some to the library too," said senior Julie Holt, who is a member of the leadership group that helped promote the food drive. "I hate being hungry and I didn't want anyone else to feel that way." The school also made a contest in all third-period classes for the food drive where the top three classes with the most cans would all receive front-of-the-line lunch passes for students while Staples gift cards were offered for teachers. It was confirmed last week that the winning classes were English teacher Ms. Overstreet in first, Geometry and Algebra teacher Ms. Murphy in second, and Global Studies teacher Miss Yaxis in third. When asked whether or not she believed the food drive was the best way to benefit the Lowcounty Food Bank, Julie replied, "I think so because the way to get cans is to get the parents and students involved. I don't know any other way to [have the food drive be] as successful as we did." Altogether the school raised 29,000 pounds of food to be distributed to the Lowcountry Food Bank for feeding the hungry all over the Lowcountry, according to the school website. Congratulations Swamp Foxes!