The headlines of 2025, dominated by political strife and pop culture scandals, paint a negative picture of the world. Nevertheless, we can still find hope by shifting our vision towards the positive news in our community.
The Thunder Pageant
An event unique to Summit’s student council raises money for the Sparrow Club, through involvement in both the Summit and Bend community. This year’s sparrow is Juliet, a two-year-old girl battling leukemia. Last year the pageant raised a little over $60,000 from early Jan. until Mar. 19. This year, $50,000 has been raised as of the end of Jan.
“It is really impactful to be a part of something that is going to make a really big change in this little girl’s life. I’m just glad [there are] so many passionate teams this year, the most we’ve ever had.” said Student Body President Alicia Watson.
Interact Drive
The Storm Interact Club is hosting a clothing drive through the entire month of Jan. In conversation with the local Family Kitchen, Summit Junior and club President Esi Voelz discovered the dire need for winter clothing in the Bend homeless community. With two large bins in the front of the Summit building, Interact urges Storm students to donate gently used clothing for people in need along with towels and sheets for the Humane Society.
“People tend to do a ton during the holidays, and after in January and February there’s kind of nothing, so we wanted to do it after the holidays like a second Christmas,” commented Voelz.
Summit clubs aim to keep the giving spirit alive beyond the holiday season through outreach in the Bend community, encouraging the Summit community to do the same.
Coloring Contest
Throughout the year, Summit’s library hosts a variety of fun contests right outside their door. This Jan., the competition consists of a coloring sheet to help ease the stress of finals and possibly win a fun little prize.
“It’s a nice little way to relieve a little bit of stress during this time,” commented Summit Librarian Eila Overcash.
Entries are due Thursday, Jan. 30, so get coloring!
Finals Week
The climax of academic stress, or finals week, is Jan. 28-30. However, the three-day block forces students to shift their gaze towards the end of the term when relief is reinstated like no other time. Feb. 3 signals a fresh start into the new semester, either a continuation or an opportunity to redeem your first-semester role in the Summit community. Regardless, fun events remain to alleviate the stressful stigma around finals season.
Rhinestone Roundup
This year’s Winter Formal has been turned into a western, bedazzled dance to reward students after finals week. On Feb. 8, students can expect a culmination of fun events such as line dancing, mechanical bull rides and gemstones.
“Mrs. Brines has these cowgirl boots and the whole thing is just rhinestones, so she asked us to come up with a dance theme from them,” said Summit student council sophomore Kyla Wilson.
This timely casual dance gives Storm students the opportunity to look forward to a little sparkle after all the hard work during finals season.
In 2025, as a community, we must prioritize seeking out the positive news rather than just being fed the negative. From taking an extra few minutes to color to feeling the community aspect within the stress of finals season, opportunities for joy persist regardless of the conditions of our world’s trending news.
