Balloon a big hit at pep rally

What high school student would pass up an opportunity to nail his teacher directly in the face with a water balloon? Exactly. And that’s why an annual Key Club of Lecanto High School, Florida, fundraiser is such a splash.

Set up during an end-of-the-year pep rally, a Key Club booth collected 25 cents from participants who loaded up with three bulging water balloons, with which they bombarded a defenseless Key Club member—or better yet, a Lecanto faculty member.

“It’s so easy to do, and you can pelt someone in the face with out risk of retaliation,” says former club editor Jamie Flatley, who graduated this past May.

The pep rally’s purpose is to recognize the school’s student organizations—such as Key Club—and functions more as a carnival than anything else. Jamie says though all the events at the pep rally are popular among students, the balloon toss is a cut above. The Key Club’s booth has become, she says, an “institution.”

“Though the pep rally only lasts two hours and we only charge 25 cents, we were able to raise US$200 this past year,” she notes.--Sam Brattain