Junior Kelli Adams sprints down the football field in bubble braids, soccer warm up sweats and pink long sleeves. It’s cold, rainy and late. Not the best night for Powder Puff — a student-led girls tackle football game. 

The juniors are up by seven points. The game is almost over. But Adams runs faster, clutching the ball, black paint running down her face like mascara after a bad date. 

Adams makes the final touchdown.

On Wednesday, Nov. 13, Powder Puff was put on by StuCo to bring in cans and money for the Johnson County Christmas Bureau, an organization that serves hundreds of families by providing them with household items, gifts and food around Christmas time.

Powder Puff belonged to a string of events in the first two weeks of November including Buff Puff, a boys volleyball game, the Mother-Son-Father-Daughter dance, fifth hour class competitions and trick or treating for cans.

One of the biggest changes StuCo made this year was counting cans before they went into storage, and using a master Google spreadsheet to automatically make calculations. StuCo raised 4,863 cans and $3,797.03, which is still less than last year’s total.

Adams and co-chairman senior Easton Volk believe this is due to a lack of advertising, whether that be through Instagram, poster making or dressing up for spirit days.

They proposed channeling their energy into posting on social media, talking with friends, raising the stakes for fifth hour classes and prioritizing verbal communication.

“You can always do more,” Volk said.

Despite not surpassing last year’s goal they’re still proud of the results and Northwest’s unfeigned enthusiasm. Volk was particularly sad when the drive ended with it being his senior year, but was grateful for that opportunity to be a part of something bigger. 

“Because this charity is so local, you might not see where the money is going,” StuCo treasurer senior Ryland Prosser said. “But you can feel it.”