Tippecanoe School Corporation
Three TSC schools named Classroom Superstars
Sue Scott

Primient and Lafayette Media Group named three TSC schools as “Classroom Superstars” for donating generous amounts of food to Food Finders Food Bank. 

Company representatives presented the Golden Spork award to East Tipp Middle School for being the middle school that brought in the most food during the fall food drive. Dayton Elementary School was named the top elementary school and Harrison High School the top high school in the Drive Away Hunger Food Drive.

East Tipp Middle School delivered 11,078 pounds of food and $1200 to Food Finders this year. The food drive is a tradition for the school which has collected a quarter of a million pounds of food over the last 20 years.

“While it’s great to see that our school has spirit, it’s just so good to see that we were able to help the people around us in their time of need,” says eighth grader Gabriella Estep. “One of my personal strategies for the food drive was to make a point of remembering that there are real, hungry people out there that we are helping to feed. People who would love to be given the opportunities that we are blessed to have.”

East Tipp’s food drive is a blend of fun and philanthropy, featuring activities like a teeter-totter challenge to outweigh a teacher with donated food, a volleyball game between football players and volleyball girls, and “Aldi’s Night,” where students and staff use collected funds to purchase as much food as possible. Eighth grader Moriah Meister reflects on the impact, saying, “It means so much to have won this award. Especially since this was my last year at East Tipp. I’m so glad that we made the most of it and really made a difference. While it is amazing to win this award, the real winners are people in need.”

East Tipp wins Golden Spork award

Dayton Elementary brought in 6,657 total items during the food drive. This is the school’s fifth year in a row to win the coveted cutlery. “We always enjoy this friendly competition each year as we show our students the importance of giving back to our community and helping those in need,” says Principal Ryan Simmons. “While Dayton Elementary may be small, we have a major impact on our community each year through the food drive. The food drive has become a tradition at our school, and our school family always rallies to support those in need.”

Dayton receives the Golden Spork award

Harrison High School was named the top high school in the food drive, raising $3,160 and collecting 1,479 food items for Food Finders. 

Senior Ruth Moser says student council members hung posters around the school to encourage everyone to participate: “One dollar doesn’t seem like a lot of money for a high schooler, but one dollar put toward the food pantry can provide a much-needed meal.”

Sophomore Sydney Harris says the student council came up with different theme days to encourage participation. “For example, “Rise and Shine” day, we asked for breakfast foods, such as cereal, pancake mix and coffee,” says Sydney. “This event is important to me because I feel too many people take for granted what they have. Many students at Harrison rely on outside resources for food and other necessities. So this event not only helps people in need, but also makes people realize how lucky we are for a roof over our heads and multiple meals a day.”

“This event is really important to our school as a whole because I feel that as a school, we really want to be able to contribute to our community, and the food drive is a perfect way to rally us all together for a common cause,” adds senior Om Patel.

Harrison High School wins Golden Spork award