Colfax High School NHS raises over $850 for Hurricane Harvey relief

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX — It was a collaborative effort, you might say.

The officers of the Colfax Chapter of the National Honor Society got the idea that if students chipped in a dollar, they could wear hats in school on a Friday.

The students were enthusiastic about participating.

And as a result, NHS raised more than $850 for Hurricane Harvey relief.

Four Colfax High School seniors serve as officers for the National Honor Society: Adam Pretasky is the president; Mackenzie Jensen is the vice-president; Erika Brantner is the treasurer; and Amanda Christianson is the secretary.

Hurricane Harvey, which affected the state of Texas at the end of August and particularly the city of Houston, produced record amounts of moisture with approximately 52 inches of rain from one storm.

In addition to the high school, middle school and elementary students wearing hats, “we also had a change drive at our Friday night football game,” Christianson said.

“All of the NHS members at the game got together at half time with buckets, and we had it announced on the loudspeaker that we were going to collect money for Hurricane Harvey,” Jensen said.

“All of the money from the hats and the game came to $850,” Brantner said.

The students could wear any kind of a cap, from a baseball cap to a cowboy hat.

“We also said that teachers could wear jeans for a dollar,” Pretasky said.

As of Friday, September 15, the NHS officers said they did not have any concrete plans to collect money for Hurricane Irma relief in Florida.

“We have nothing planned currently, but maybe there will be something,” Pretasky said.

“Maybe we’ll try to get another organization to step up to the plate. Maybe the student council will. Two of us are on the student council,” Jensen said.

The Hurricane Harvey relief efforts were enhanced by some larger donations as well.

“We had some big donations, too, people who donated $50,” Pretasky said.

The one dollar donation was possible for many of the students and allowed a wide participation.

“A lot of the students want to wear hats. It’s something they want to take advantage of,” Pretasky said.

“They get yelled at for wearing them in class, and now they could do it and not get yelled at,” Brantner said.

The NHS officers agreed that the “hats on Friday” idea is a strategy they would consider using for other fund-raising activities in the future.

“I’m so proud of (the National Honor Society students). We’ve got a really good group of officers this year,” said Mark Mosey, Colfax High School biology teacher and the advisor for the National Honor Society.

National Honor Society students are required to do three hours of community service per quarter, amounting to 12 hours out of the school year, but the Hurricane Harvey collection was not community service.

“This was something we wanted to do out of the goodness of our hearts,” Pretasky said.

Community service for NHS students can include many activities.

“I volunteer at my church. We donate blood. In the springtime, I work at the Special Olympics in Eau Claire,” Pretasky said.

Roadside cleanup and mentoring students in elementary and middle school are also community service activities, Brantner and Jensen said.

“I go to the nursing home and paint ladies’ nails,” Christianson said.

National Honor Society was established in 1921 to recognize outstanding high school students.

The students must meet their chapter’s grade point average requirements and are considered for membership on the basis of service, leadership and character.