Juniors change their class cause
The Junior Class cheers at Valley Cup.
The junior’s class cause, The Wounded Warrior Project, recently came under fire for engaging in controversial behavior. The class, therefore, has decided to change their cause.
On Wednesday, Feb. 24, the Council presented the junior class body with an option: keep the Wounded Warrior Project or switch to the Veterans Memorial Home in Paramus.
Emilio Quevedo, the president of the Junior Class Council, said that the decision was quite unanimous.
“Most recently it was 80 to 20 in favor of changing it,” Quevedo said.
News came out in late January that the Wounded Warrior Project spends donations frivolously, only 60% of donations going to help veterans. The other 40% of donations does not in any way help veterans but rather funds fancy conferences and meetings.
A Council member brought up the issue in a meeting, having heard the news. Other members had heard this as well.
“We talked about if it should be changed,” Drew Aral, the vice president of the junior class council, said, “and then we, subsequently, had two or three more meetings talking about how it would play out.”
With this change, the class of 2017 will have a more local cause, unlike the other classes.
“[Mrs. Laura Grier] brought up the idea when we were talking about changing the class cause that we should do something more local,” Shane Flanagan said. “My mom has connections there–she has connections everywhere because of her internship program.”
Other students on the Junior Class Council have connections and experience at the home as well.
“I chose to bring up the Paramus Veterans Home,” Flanagan continued, “because I thought it was important; we would know exactly where the money is going and exactly who it’s impacting.
“We can see the changes and feel that you are participating and helping,” Aral added.
The junior class color will most likely remain red and the juniors will get new class t-shirts, but the mural in the lunchroom will not completely change.
“The mural in the lunchroom, we’re not going to get rid that,” Quevedo said. “We might add to it, but it’s a part of our class history.”
