Zac Sweet, first-year teacher at Callaway Public School, utilized his PE students in a fun way to raise money for a good cause as last week high school students and faculty members squared off on the court.

The “teams” met on Wednesday, Nov. 27, for a volleyball matchup to collect items for the local food pantry and to secure bragging rights for the winners.

“I thought it would be a fun way to compete and kick off the Thanksgiving break,” Sweet explained.

“My seniors in lifetime sports class played a lot of volleyball and it was very competitive and fun. I played a lot and enjoyed it and knew it was a great team and competitive sport.”

Sweet said the idea for the fundraiser was actually the brainchild of Principal/A.D. Heath Birkel. “Some senior students asked about letting the community come, and Mr. Birkel came up with the idea to include the food pantry,” Sweet said.

“I came up with the idea and presented it to Mr.

Birkel and Mr. Furrow (Superintendent). We sat down and talked it over and decided on the date and time,” Sweet continued. “Mr. Birkel then did a lot of the fine-tuning of setting up the event along with Melissa Eggleston in the office printing fliers and helping get the message out.”

Sweet said the next step was to reach out to the students to present the info and instruct them to designate teams. “The students then made their teams and we built our bracket from there,” said Sweet.

The tournament was based on 1-bounce rules and the teams played to 15. The teams were: seniors, juniors, sophomore/freshmen 1, sophomore/freshmen 2, and staff.

Sweet acknowledged several individuals who helped out to make the tournament happen. They include: Mr. Birkel- announcer; Mrs. Campbell- referee; Tyra Brestel and Aubrie Birkel- line judges; Mike Weverka - setup; Mr. Beavers - video and camera; Leta Connell - pictures; and Melissa Eggleston- setup.

“And finally thank you to my teacher team, Mrs. Weber, Ms. Popp, Ms. Donegan, Ms. Smith, and Mrs. Mowery,” Sweet added.

Elementary and junior high students and several public members came in to watch the tournament. “I hope this continues to grow and becomes a competitive tradition for our students and community,” said Sweet.