Having a direct impact
February 2026
By Lauren Cook, Elaina Nelson, and Kate Rosenbeck
Athletes are always busy at Coon Rapids-Bayard, but there is so much going on behind the scenes in our clubs and group organizations, as well.
This winter season, students in the National Honor Society (NHS), student council, and FFA have put their best foot forward in many different capacities.
Annually, NHS students participate in the stuff the bus event during Christmas in a Small Town on Main Street in Coon Rapids. Staff at Frohlich’s Super Valu put together ready-to-go bags of food items for customers to purchase and hand to NHS students to collect for the Coon Rapids Food Pantry.
“My favorite part of stuff the bus was seeing everyone’s faces when they realized how many donations we had received,” said Lydia McAlister, a junior member. The impact we made by volunteering was a big part of the whole project. Knowing that the food is going to people that need it during the holiday season really helped me to realize that not everyone is lucky enough to not have to worry about certain things.”
Kerra Hart and Amelia Eddy are also juniors who helped with stuff the bus.
Hart added that she now realizes how appreciated the donations are and Eddy loves being able to give back to the community in such an easy way.
As for the student council, one of their biggest projects was organizing the annual Veteran’s Day assembly in November.
Freshman student council member Claire Mohr believes that the students had a very successful day and her favorite moment was just being able to chat with the veterans and learn their stories. Mohr also noted that the student council prepared the entire breakfast for the veterans to enjoy.
“It was so awesome seeing the school in red, white, and blue,” said Emma Cretsinger, another freshman student council member. “It really took several weeks to plan this ceremony.”
Seventh grader McKenna Lewis discussed how the student council put a thank-you video together this year for families to show their appreciation for their specific veteran.
The student council’s efforts were greatly helped by students in the FFA.
“I would say FFA’s favorite thing about Veteran’s Day is to see the veterans happy,” said junior Aryanne Robbins. “I love seeing the joy in their eyes when they see the hard work we do to put this on for them. We want to show we truly support them.”
Through the efforts of NHS students, student council, and FFA, members of our community are being greatly impacted in various ways. The clubs and organizations at CR-B strive to have the best interest of others consistently in mind.