Central’s First Wing Bowl Raises Money for “Autism Speaks”

Bella Giannattasio, Writer

What brings freshmen, seniors, students, and staff together like nothing else? Buffalo wings! On Friday, February 3, Hunterdon Central’s fieldhouse was packed with spectators from all classes eager to watch a few of their peers, teachers, and administrators scarf down wings with speed. Cheers and chants could be heard from across campus, with hundreds of spirited students surrounding the tables of competitors.

As a member of Senior Class Council, I would like to thank everyone who came out to see the first ever Wing Bowl at Hunterdon Central. We were amazed to see so much school spirit at this event. The fundraiser would not have been possible without the many people who took part in the planning and made sure the day of the event went smoothly.

The Bowl was conducted entirely by the Senior Class Council; we worked hard to raise funds for two purposes. Half of the proceeds will be going to Autism Speaks, our class charity, and the other half will be going towards Senior Prom. The money came from donations and tickets from the students who entered the raffle.

At the competition, there were two students per grade level and four teachers who participated. Many students had entered into a raffle the days prior, and those who participated were selected randomly. On the day of the event, all 12 participants had selected a nickname and were placed at tables. They had five minutes to eat as many boneless wings as possible. We were fortunate enough to find local businesses who donated 300 wings. We would like to thank Jake’s Restaurant and Soriano’s Catering for donating the wings and essentially making it all possible. At the end, we counted each contestant’s total consumed wings and the winner, junior Joe Kwan, had eaten twenty-six! He received gift cards to Jake’s and Soriano’s. “While eating I thought it was so cool to hear how many people were cheering for me, and I was honestly surprised at how full the Field House got,” Joe commented following his victory.

We didn’t know how many people would come to watch students stuff their faces with wings for five minutes; in the end, it was great to see so many Central students come out. The event went so well that the Senior Class Council is looking forward to an even greater turnout next year!