On the court for a cause

PALMER -- It may have been because of the chance to benefit the Children's Place, an opportunity to beat the Colony High School varsity volleyball team at their own game or an affinity for butt-hugging spandex, but members of the CHS varsity football squad took the court against Knight spikers in a charity volleyball game at the CHS gym on Friday.

In reality it was the opportunity to raise money for the Children's Place, a non-profit organization in the Valley, that paired the Knight varsity athletic teams on the same court. And it was a pair of Colony High students, neither on the volleyball or football team, that made the event possible.

As part of their requirements for a leadership class, Colony High School students Logan Tuttle and Will Curtis came up with the idea, organized and directed the event.

Tuttle said there is sometimes talk in the hallways of Colony High School of bringing players from the far different sports together on the same court and he thought, why not do it and raise money for charity? Tuttle then got Curtis to help him organize the specifics of the event.

Tuttle and Curtis said they worked about three weeks on their project, waiting for a time after the conclusion of the prep volleyball season, and finding a spot in the busy CHS gym schedule. Tuttle and Curtis brought the teams together, oversaw admissions and concessions and found a score keeper and a public address announcer for the event.

Tuttle said the class, taught by Colony High School's Karen Miller, is seen as an easy class by some students, but actually takes more effort and time to complete projects such as the charity volleyball game. The class also proved to be rewarding for students such as Tuttle who are involved in extracurricular activities such as student government.

Miller said about 35 students are currently enrolled in the class which is open to most CHS students. The only requirement for the class is the student must be involved in a school extracurricular activity, like athletics or student government. The class organizes a host of charity projects in addition to the volleyball game, such as organizing school dances, participating in the local holiday bizarres. Miller said the class hopes to raise $5,000 for the Children's Place.

As far the volleyball game, the Knight football team brought more than a half dozen of their own to the court against a CHS volleyball squad that won the Northern Lights Conference title and finished third among large schools in the state. The Knight gridiron guys even put a few points on the scoreboard against the lady spikers.

"The guys have the height, but the girls know how to play volleyball," Tuttle joked.