In an effort to raise money for HOG Week, Student Council hosted a jalapeño eating contest at Whataburger on April 1.

“We thought it would be a fun way to kick off HOG Week,” Student Council Sponsor Heather Colburn said. “It was (also) a way for us to get out in the community.”

World History teacher Kimberly Helfenbein and Assistant Principal Darwert Johnson tied for the contest win. They represented the sophomore and junior classes, respectively.

“The jalapeños weren’t too bad,” Helfenbein said. “They burned my mouth a little, but they weren’t as bad as I thought they would be.”

Helfenbein said that she had no strategy going into the contest.

“I’m just really competitive,” she said. “I just told myself to stuff as many jalapeños into my mouth as I could.”

Each grade level picked a faculty representative.

“It (victory) feels great,” Helfenbein said. “I’m excited to come back to class with a trophy.”

Whataburger donated $500 each to the sophomore and junior classes putting them ahead in the competition to raise the most money.

“It’s a great cause,” Helfenbein said. “It gets HOG Week started off, and there cannot be a more wonderful way to help someone that doesn’t have the opportunities we have every day.”

Student Council member Jessica Badejo said she was happy with the event.

“The turnout was more than what we expected,” she said. “People from all grades showed up and it’s great that we were all out there supporting a good cause.”

The outcome of the contest was surprising, Badejo said.

“I never would’ve thought that Ms. Helfenbein and Mr. Johnson would have won against the coaches,” she said. “They were the underdogs.”

Colburn said she is looking forward to making the contest a tradition.

“Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a partnership with Whataburger,” she said. “We would like to do this annually and can get even more people to come out.”