Walpole High School Student Council hosted their first ever Cornhole tournament before football senior night on Oct. 22. In a bracket reminiscent of NCAA’s March Madness, teams in brackets labeled North, South, East and West went head to head in a single-elimination, winner-takes-all competition. Each participant paid $10 per person to enter the tournament. The winners received half the proceeds and the other half was donated to the Jimmy Fund, a Boston-based charity that benefits cancer research. The winning team, seniors Jack Walsh and Colin Birch, made around $215 each, putting total donations to the Fund at $865. 

When the tournament was first announced, sign ups were slow. The original plan for the tournament was to make it at four p.m. before the football game, so students could tailgate in the parking lot and then head over to the game after the tournament.  Because the football team would be preparing for their game and other teams had practices, nobody was able to make the four p.m. tournament time. However, once the time was moved to 12 p.m., sign-ups came rolling in. Even with the new tournament time, it still got people excited for that night’s football game. With over 70 teams enrolled, the event grew to proportions bigger than its creators had anticipated. Ultimately, more teams led to more donations, so the purpose of the tournament exceeded expectations. The overall goal of the tournament was not only to raise money, but also to raise school spirit. Walpole High Student Council has been tasked for years with hosting fun school activities that serve a purpose to not only the community, but also to the school itself. Students came together on the tennis courts to have some friendly competition, listen to music and hangout. Students from all grades participated in this event, some even wearing matching outfits with their teammates. 

              “The tournament was really fun,” said participant Rishab Gupta, “I would be interested in participating in something similar in future, and it was a good fundraiser overall.”

This first student council hosted event of the year paved the way for more fundraisers to come later on. The cornhole tournament brought students from all over Walpole High together to compete, have fun and raise money for a good cause. Overall, the tournament was deemed a huge success by those who participated.