As a community service event, Interact Club chose to participate in the Ozark Water Project. The Project focuses on the global water crisis taking place primarily in Africa and Haiti.

The process begins with schools or churches collecting shoes either new, or gently used. After receiving donations the organization sells the shoes for $0.35 per pound. With the money collected all profits go to the payment for the supplies needed to build pump repairs, pipes, well-digging supplies and purification systems.

“Since we all have shoes we don’t wear anymore, this project allowed Southside to come together and donate these shoes to help those in need,” president John Freeny said.

The shoe drive took place from Oct. 22-Nov. 2. In order to increase participation among the student body, this fundraiser also became included in the school’s class competition. Each grade’s dropoff box coordinated with the class color.

To increase the class competition vice-president, Terry Uhm decorated the main hallway with paper chains. A poster with each grade and the total of pairs shoes donated hung below the paper chains.

“The purpose of making the chains is for students to visualize the pairs of shoes that have been donated so far. Each chain represents a pair of shoes. And each day we updated the numbers of shoes each class brought in,” Uhm said.

On Nov. 2 Interact club announced the juniors as the wining grade of the competition, in the close race between the classes, who collected 89 pairs of shoes and gained 80 points towards class competition. Juniors were rewarded as the first class to attend the Northside Southside pep rally.