The Longhorn Council (LoCo) is gathering canned food items outside of grade level principals offices, the main gym and front foyer this week for Help Heal Ferguson.
“Some of the foods that we really need donated are canned tuna, canned chicken, laundry detergent, deodorant, plain and honey nut cheerios. We do not need ramen noodles,” Operation Food Search director Judy Coyman said.
Help Heal Ferguson is Operation Food Search’s response to the Ferguson Community.
“Many of the stores and food banks have been raided and are in need of food. We are searching for various food banks, stores and pantries that we could potentially raise enough money to donate to,” LoCo sponsor Anne Wayland said.
LoCo plans on gathering money and food donations before school; there will be opportunities to donate some money for the cause, and also at sporting events.
“I think it would be a good idea to begin collecting money, food and canned goods at the football game because there will be many people attending this event. The more money we get as soon as possible, the better,” Wayland said.
Coyman’s organization and team members will come to West to deliver barrels for us to put all of the donations and money in. They would like to pick them up by Monday, Sept. 1.
“I think that having a food drive for Ferguson could be very beneficial for the innocent people, but this is still controversial because it could seem like we are taking a side in the Michael Brown case. It may also seem as if we are feeding the protesters, which could be the problem. In concerns of who deserves the food, a lot of the looters aren’t from Ferguson. The chances aren’t very high that these raided stores will reopen soon, and I feel bad for these stores and food pantries,” senior class Vice President Claire Webster said.
The food drive proposal was approved by activities director Brian Kessler and principal Dr. Jeremy Mitchell allowing them to put their ideas into action.
“I think that’s awesome! It sounds like a great idea, anything that we can do to help,” Mitchell said.
![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. "[The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jeff] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![Principal John McCabe announces that Jeffrey Chazen has won Teacher of the Year. Chazen was discussing freedom of speech with his AP Government class when the door opened and administrators rushed in. “[I was] extremely happy and humbled, but mostly shock[ed]. I've been here longer than any other teacher, so I know most of the people on the list of Teachers of the Year, and they are amazing teachers themselves,” Chazen said. “It's just nice to be on the list with them, including [social studies teacher Kristen] Collins, who is the only other social studies teacher who has won Teacher of the Year. It was nice to bring something back to the social studies department.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DSC_0021-1-2-1200x801.jpg)
![Striking a pose following their group dance, the 2024 Mr. Longhorn contestants welcome their audience to the show. Throughout the night, the nine competitors participated in an occupational section, skits for the talent portion and a fashion attire show before finalists were interviewed. “It's a fun time getting to hang out with my friends and doing [our] acts. I think I'm most excited for my performance with [seniors Bart Connors, Gavin Hamlin and Colin Hughes]. I like that I get to dance a little bit. I don't think I'm very good, but I'm gonna try my best to put on a show,” contestant and senior Henry Wild said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DSC_9759-1200x798.jpg)
![Kicking off dress rehearsal, Mr. Longhorn contestant and senior Carson Hughes goes over the group routine alongside other competitors. With just two days of practice, all participants learned the entirety of their introductory dance, chose an occupation to embody and crafted skits for the show. “The best part of this [whole thing] was learning the dance and just practicing with the guys. We [have to] try not to laugh the whole time, but we're having a lot of fun,” Hughes said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_5112-1-e1732164157549-1200x812.jpg)
![Blending together a concoction for a science experiment, science teacher Joel Anderson scares his students by bringing excitement and thrill into his classroom for his annual Halloween show. It took about six weeks for Anderson to set up his classroom for the show. “It’s pure terror. I came up with this idea a couple decades ago to do something fun for Halloween. So I pretend to be this mad scientist [that creates] a Frankenstein-like creature [with the class], learning a little bit of science along the way and [then ending] with a laser show. It’s just for fun; entertainment value,” Anderson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0021.JPG_-1200x800.jpg)
![Standing with girls cross country team mascot Pump the pumpkin, senior Sydney Etchason laughs with her teammates. Before the team’s senior night, Etchason undertook an odyssey to recover the pumpkin, which had been stolen by boys cross country. “We went through practice, and then a little birdie told me that it was in [senior] Emmett [Vernon's] car. I [offered Vernon] $50 to give us our pumpkin back, and we got Pump back,” Etchason said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0002-1-1200x800.jpg)
