Service to the community is something RBHS does well. For example, Rock Bridge Reaches Out has yearlong projects that benefit the community, and RBRO’s sheer size displays the willingness of Bruins to help out.
The grandiosity of homecoming offers an opportune time to raise money, yet we fail to take advantage of it.
At HHS, part of the homecoming queen election process is how much money candidates raise for a charity of their choice. This philanthropic move benefits everyone: the community helps various charities, the school gains a good name and the candidates work toward something greater than they are.
No philanthropy exists in the RBHS homecoming. All we ever do is watch our candidates and their escorts make fools of themselves in the commons during lunch. HHS students enjoy a similar spectacle, but benefit the community at the same time.
In 2010 HHS students raised more than $10,000, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune, which went to benefit 10 charities. The Bruins are capable of raising at least that amount. The only thing that is stopping us is our inaction.
Just like at HHS, homecoming queen candidates here should raise money for charities. RBHS prides itself on being innovative, yet it has failed to take the initiative on this important issue. We have many service clubs which help the community. Any one of these can take the lead by beginning fundraising activities during homecoming.
There is no RBHS without the Columbia community. Columbia citizens are the ones who paid for the school and its resources. Now is the time to give back to the people who gave us our education and opportunities. We can start by having homecoming queen candidates compete by raising money for a charity of their choice.
By The Rock