When outsiders think of Pleasant Valley High School, the many accomplished athletes or top-notch academics may come to mind. However, that’s not all Pleasant Valley stands for.
Over the course of the years, Pleasant Valley’s National Honor Society (NHS) and Spartan Assembly have made it a mission to donate to local charities in the area. These fundraisers include the student hunger drive, PV palooza, powderpuff football and this year’s newest addition: the bad talent show.
Pleasant Valley shines in regards to the student hunger drive. This school year, PV was awarded first place in Division A for raising the most food in pounds. That number contributed over 56,000 pounds of the 568,317 pounds raised in local Iowa and Illinois communities.
Junior Gabby Mowbray, an executive member of Spartan Assembly, loves that the hunger drive brings the best out of the Spartans. “[The hunger drive] raises awareness for the school and the community about the amount of food insecure people there are,” stated Mowbray. “When we raise money and food to donate, it makes a big impact and I think students start to understand and hopefully encourage them to donate too.”
Over the last few years, a majority of the food raised by Spartan Assembly has been donated to the Riverbend Food Bank. “We have also donated to PV families. We try to donate to families or businesses in the local area,” said Mowbray. Not only is it beneficial to donate to the community, but being able to see the impact that it brings is truly inspiring.
This year, the NHS has thought of a new way to bring in funds for charity. Social studies teacher Sara Russell is the head of the NHS and is excited for what change the Spartans can make to the community. “This year, everything the NHS raises is going to the Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad Cities,” said Russell.
The Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad Cities is in Rock Island, Illinois and works to provide physical, occupational, speech and feeding therapy to children around the community. With the help of NHS, the money goes towards more things the therapists can use to be able to provide the correct and necessary treatment to children in the Quad Cities.
While a “bad talent show” isn’t common in high schools, the NHS is hoping to showcase everyone who chooses to participate. Senior Hunter Pieper is very grateful for the opportunity to show his talent. “[The bad talent show] makes everyone feel more included. For people who don’t think they excel at one thing, they can just mess around and make people laugh,” he said.
Even though this event is labeled as a “bad” talent show, Pieper is still shooting for the stars with his team. “We’re all participating because we aren’t afraid of showing the funnier sides of ourselves,” stated Pieper. “We’re all comfortable with dancing but hopefully PV Fatinum can actually win this time.”
Pleasant Valley High School is more than just the stellar athletes and high-quality education. Donating to multiple charities throughout the year is just one of the things that makes Spartan Nation so determined and committed to seeing change in the community.
