The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Sydney Olsen

Rocky enjoys helping local families and the community with many fundraising events throughout the year.

Rocky is a very charitable school and has traditionally put on charity events throughout the school year. Every student can be a part of the charitable events coming up this semester and next.

Currently, students can participate in Cans Around the Boval. Every fall, CSU sponsors Cans Around the Oval. It is a CSU tradition where businesses and local schools help raise awareness for hunger by collecting food and donations. Every year, Rocky helps by collecting cans and raising money with all donations go to the Larimer County Food Bank.

Rocky asks every student to bring in only three cans and $3 to help meet the donation goal. For every $1 donated, the Food Bank can provide $5 worth of food. The last day for donations to Cans Around the Boval is Monday, October 15th. Prizes like a pizza or donut party will be awarded to the homeroom classes with the most money and can donations.

An upcoming charitable event is a 20-year Rocky tradition: Adopt a Family. Every year around Christmas time, Fort Collins area families who are struggling to support themselves on their own, apply to be a part of Adopt a Family, put together a wish list of what they want and need for Christmas and for the rest of the year and then the Lobos take over. This year Rocky will have 35 returning families and 39 new families participating. Families are allowed to participate for two years.

Each Rocky homeroom requests a family they would like to help support. They are then assigned a family and start checking off items on their wish list. Homerooms have from November 15th to December 15th, when all the families come and meet at the school to receive the gifts that have been collected for them.

Assistant Principal Mrs. Nickel said that students can help by, “[participating]  in any way, whether that be bringing in gifts or just participation in home room activities or volunteering to help day of.”

Juniors and seniors, and some sophomores, are welcome to volunteer to help out for Adopt a Family on the day families come to pick up. It will be advertised once it gets closer. This year, Rocky is able to help support 74 families. Lobos should be ready to bring in money, gifts, and other fun items for some ‘tis the season fun and giving.

Nickel also said, “Throughout the year we have three big fundraiser events: Cans Around the Boval, Adopt a Family, and some kind of global fundraiser event [in the spring]. Between all of those events, Rocky has smaller fundraisers where the money raised goes directly to the Lobo Fund.”

Every quarter, marketing classes do small fundraisers with funds going to the Lobo Fund.

Two are No Shave November, where students vote for their favorite teacher’s beards, and the Change Drive, which is a homeroom game where the homeroom that has the most change in their jar wins and the homeroom with the most paper money, loses.

The Lobo Fund helps current Rocky students who have any needs. For example, if they need a new bike because their original bike was stolen and that was their only form of transportation, the Lobo Fund could buy them a new bike. If a student needs a new pair of shoes and they cannot afford them, Lobo Fund can make that happen– same with glasses or food or whatever.

Rocky’s family atmosphere helps identify students who may benefit from the Lobo Fund. Building relationships with teachers at school can also help because if they know about a student’s personal life. Teachers can contact Mrs. Nickel and talk to her about helping the students out.

One thing that can be said about Rocky students is that they care about others and like to help people out. Fortunately, there are many ways to do that.