Student-Faculty Volleyball Game Funds Heart of a Prince

by Sayde Davis

In previous years, Princeville High School's Science Club has arranged for faculty members and senior students to play a basketball game in the spring to raise money for St. Jude. Heart of a Prince, a program sponsored by PHS National Honor Society members, was hoping to bring in similar donations through another fun student-faculty event to fund the Thanksgiving baskets that they bring to families each holiday season.

This year, due to an increased number of families in need throughout the community, a student-faculty volleyball game was organized to raise additional funds. The game occurred on November 14 in the High School gymnasium. The admission was $2 and the total amount of money received added up to be $590.

National Society Co-sponsor Elizabeth Quinn said, “For the longest time we’ve done a student-faculty basketball game and the volleyball girls said they wanted to do it. [...] It was a collection of students, executive board members on the National Honor Society, and Mrs. Cendejas and I that wanted to do something fun.” 

On the senior students side, there were fifteen players that were coached by four other senior students. One of their players, Madison Ladd, commented, “The game is for fun obviously, but we are in it to win it.” The seniors advantage was that some of their players played volleyball this fall. 

Quinn states there was “some height on the faculty side,” making it a fair game. The staff team was made up of sixteen players. The volleyball game ended up reaching the max of three matches, where the seniors won the first, and the faculty won the second. The last match went to fifteen points, and the seniors pulled through for the victory! 

The competitive game had some positive outcomes for families in the community that received Thanksgiving meals. 

Senior Alyssa Headley said, “The student-faculty volleyball game was a hit! Unlike the student-faculty basketball game, we got many women faculty members to take part. This also was a great fundraiser to add for the National Honor Society. It better helped fund what we could purchase for our Thanksgiving baskets. I think it will become a new tradition each fall!” 

National Honor Society members assembled 33 baskets on November 19 and delivered the food to homes in the Princeville community. 

“It’s the season of giving,” said Quinn, and the event allows many community members to “have a Thankgiving dinner with their families that they possibly couldn't have had before.”