The Otte Blair Middle School students committed their trash talk to poster paper for the annual staff-versus-students volleyball game, so teacher Kristi Rasmussen felt it was only fair to get her digs in, too.
“You guys are going down,” she told one boy Tuesday afternoon near the concession stand.
The faculty have had a lot of success during the annual matchup, which had its latest edition played two days before Thanksgiving. The teachers have lost sets, but never a three-set match to the teams of middle school girls and boys.
“But we're getting older,” Rasmussen said, cracking a smile.
The annual volleyball game commemorates the middle school students' efforts to raise money for good causes. On Tuesday, Rasmussen — as well as students Will Filows and Lanea Jackson — handed out a pair of checks to the Washington County Food Pantry as well as Washington County Relay for Life.
Strategic Director Denise Cada accepted a check for $1,450.50 on behalf of the Food Pantry. She thanked the students and noted how their families' efforts would help purchase hams for more local families this Christmas season.
Rasmussen said Otte's goal every year is to raise $500 for the Food Pantry. This year, four home room classes raised more than $100 with one bringing in more than $500.
“One student brought in $400 as an individual because his dad said they wanted to make a difference,” the teacher explained.
The lead home room class earned some sweets for its total to go along with bragging rights, Rasmussen added.
Leslie Watts, meanwhile, accepted a check for $581 on behalf of the county's Relay For Life campaign. The money will go toward the American Cancer Society and its research as well as patients and families who may need financial assistance. Watts appreciated the school children's efforts to sell bracelets for breast cancer awareness.
“It's nice to see them getting to understand what it's like to help people in need,” she said. “I'm sure a lot of them have gone through situations with cancer with family members and friends.”
Personal experiences, she noted, can show people just how needed funding is.
“It's a great learning experience and we appreciate it,” Watts said.
After presenting checks, though, the students and teachers got down to volleyball — complete with posters deriding the teachers in the student body crowd. The girls team in pink won the first set with the educators on an ace serve by Addy O'Neil, but Rasmussen and the teachers battled back. They won a set against the boys (25-18) and an all-or-nothing third-set victory against the girls (15-11) to keep their winning streak going.
Altogether, though, the students — even in defeat — learned valuable lessons through fundraising for noteworthy, local causes.
“My goal is to make sure kids understand that it's not just about us,” Rasmussen said of the campaigns. “It's doing things for others.”
