Revere’s Student Council revived an old tradition by challenging rival Copley to a canned food drive competition, which Revere won.

According to a report by Phil Heyn titled “History of the Revere-Copley Food Drive,” the two schools hosted the competition for five consecutive years from 1988 until 1993. Although Revere and Copley have individually held food drives annually, this year’s competition, called the We Can School Challenge, marked the first time Revere and Copley have competed against each other since the event’s twenty-four year hiatus. The competition took place from January 17 until January 31, and Revere High School and Copley High School competed to bring in the most canned food items. Both schools donated the food items to the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank.

Copley High School Principal Michael Coury commented on the rivalry between Revere and Copley.

“I think it’s an awesome opportunity to engage students across our two excellent districts. I love that our two schools have a fun and healthy rivalry, yet at the same time, many of our students are friends. Having a competition such as this keeps that rivalry alive and, more importantly, benefits those in need in our area,” Coury said.

Revere High School Principal Phil King noted the importance of food drives.

“First, you are helping those that are in need. That’s the most important part, and I think everyone at this school has an opportunity to bring in something—to be helpful to people in our community,” King said.

Revere’s Student Council, including staff leaders Jennifer Kirchner and Rebecca Ray, initiated the idea and organization of the canned food drive competition. Student Council co-presidents Simona Jasova and Courtney McClellan, vice president Ellie Edwards and other Student Council members ran the event. McClellan described the incentive that the competition provides for students.

“I believe it’s a great way to keep kids motivated. Giving kids something to look forward to at the end of any task will help generate more participation and a great outcome,” McClellan said.

Junior and Student Council vice president Ellie Edwards compared this year’s food drive competition with the food drives of previous years.

“I think it’s a really good idea because people donate more when there’s a competition, especially with our rival. We’ve also never publicized this well, which is also great. And it’s only usually been one week instead of two. So, overall we’re just getting more food, and that’s the goal,” Edwards said.

Edwards also described how the food drive makes donating simple and convenient.

“We are a really wealthy district, and we have a lot to offer, but people don’t really think about it or have time to run down to the food bank. So, if you can do it through the school, I think that’s a really beneficial thing to people less fortunate than we at Revere,” Edwards said.

Both Revere and Copley made and exchanged video announcements about the canned food drive to publicize the competition. RHS Principal Phil King noted the effectiveness of the video announcements.

“You just get kids more involved, more excited, and if it challenges each other, I think that’s a good thing,” King said.

The canned food drive competition ended January 31st, the day of the Copley-Revere basketball game. McClellan described the benefits of the competition ending on this day.

“The winner [was] announced at the basketball game, so in return, we [got] people to come to the game and to come to hear the results of the competition. I think since the competition is between Revere and Copley, having it end on the day of the game is a great idea,” McClellan said.

McClellan also explained the lesser-known impact that food donations have on local families.

“The food drives help many people within our immediate area that are in severe need for food. Not many people realize that, but a lot of families that live close to us benefit from the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank,” McClellan said.

Revere collected enough cans and money for a total of 11,960 meals, exceeding its goal of 5,000 cans and defeating Copley. Copley collected enough cans and money for 9,586 meals. Nicholas Kos’s class collected enough cans and money for 118.8 meals per student, the most for Revere. Revere and Copley hope to continue the canned food drive competition in the future.