Kaye Paugh’s 4th period Film Comp.
Lit class is celebrating a surprising victory over Steve Foug’s three-year legacy in Palo Alto High School’s Second Harvest food drive that exceeded all expectations, bringing in a record-breaking 10,291 pounds, according to Marco Dondero, the contest’s organizer.

"The whole purpose of the drive," Paugh said, "was to help others in need," and she said the students have met that goal.

Paugh’s class used a phone tree to get almost 100 percent participation in the drive, and 2,881 pounds of food. When her students’ win was announced on In Focus this morning, they were ecstatic.

"No question [that] Foug was motivating," Paugh said. ""I attribute much of the success of the food drive to him because of his comments on In Focus. He definitely got the Paly community’s attention."

Although Foug boasted about his three previous wins, Paugh recognized that "It was all in good fun."

The competitive nature of the contest and large amount of publicity, which In Focus largely contributed to, helped to get students extremely enthusiastic.

True to form, Foug took credit for the incredible results, claiming that his taunting appearance on In Focus was an effective way to raise awareness about the drive, and "really got people fired up," Foug said. According to Dondero, never has Paly seen so much enthusiasm for the annual Second Harvest event.

"I was really pleased with how spirited they [the students] were," Paugh said.

The spirit of the students resulted in 10,291 pounds of food, in addition to the $2,751.09 in cash that was collected school-wide. The top five classes were announced this morning on In Focus. Maureen McCorry placed fifth, with 1,026 pounds, and Judy Hasselbach came in fourth with 1,460 pounds. Ms. Edwards, who had never placed before in the food drive, out-raised Foug by only 8 pounds, with a total of 1,770. Paugh’s class, however, managed to surpass the second place total by over 1,000 pounds, according to Dondero.

"I’ve always encouraged my students [to participate in the drive]; I think it’s a good thing to do," Paugh said, "but it [winning] depends on the temperament of the class."

In the final weeks before Winter Break, students went to great lengths to obtain cans, bags of rice and beans, and other non-perishable items. Cups were passed around in class to collect spare change and students emptied their wallets. Whether the motivation came from the threat of another Foug victory or from a desire to help the needy, the Paly campus succeeded in exceeding the 1500 pound goal for the first time in at least 20 years, according to Dondero.

"It was about the competition," Edwards said, "but I continued to stress how important it is for those in need."