Over the past several weeks, students may have taken notice of conversations about a so-called “Nerf war,” hosted by the club U.S. International. Before winter break, posters had been strewn across the halls to urge students to register for the Nerf war by paying an admission fee for you and your team. Though the competition is now in action and teams are currently competing against each other, many questioned the purpose behind the Nerf war. U.S. International leader Morgan Teeters (12), explains where the money goes to and how the Nerf war first came about.

“We were inspired to do a Nerf war because so many schools around us do one each year,” Teeters said.  “Centerville and Alter both have huge Nerf wars. We wanted to do a fundraiser that could involve the whole school.” 

However, the Nerf war is more than a silly game. Like Alter and Centerville, schools who hold Nerf wars often donate a majority of the money to charity. Teeters, as well as other club leaders Emma Lloyd (12) and Sarah Casebere (12), are following in their footsteps.

“We are donating the money to Drop in the Bucket, a nonprofit that our club donates all of our money to,” Teeters said. “We’re raising the money to build wells in Uganda. Each well costs $6,000 and our goal is to raise that in one year.”

Drop in the Bucket’s mission statement as a charity is to empower economies with education and improve their health through water and sanitation, and so far they have raised $14,000 of their $85,000 goal. Teeters, Lloyd and Casebere found solidarity through the fact that they are all members of the U.S. International club, and from there decided to host the Nerf war to contribute to a good cause. Additionally, they have had some oversight.

“We are the only entirely student run club at Oakwood,” Teeters said. “Dr. Waller is our advisor to approve our fundraisers. Madame Jergens has helped us out this year as well.”

Club founders have taken to Instagram to keep teams updated on who is still in the game as well as clarify rules. Students can visit @ohsnerfwar to not only ask questions but see who has been eliminated so far.

“If you get shot with a Nerf bullet, you are out and you take a picture and send it to the Instagram to alert us so we can update the spreadsheet,” Lloyd said. “At the end of the two weeks, the team with the most eliminations wins. The Nerf war has a rule that the participants are not allowed to shoot during school hours.”

The many photos submitted to their Instagram page shows how eager students have been to participate. 

“I think students were inspired to join because they saw how much fun other schools had with the Nerf war and thought it would be a fun thing to do,” Lloyd said.

The winning team has a chance to win a small percentage of the money paid to enter while the rest still goes to Drop in the Bucket. And while it is a great way to bond with friends and have a good time, it is also important to remember the heart of the cause. 

“I personally find the Nerf war to be a great way to get students involved in donating to charity,” Kennedy Nels (10) said. “It’s an extremely rewarding way to donate because not only do the funds go to places in need but it is a fun way to get students to come together for something good.”

Nels believes that these sorts of events should happen more often because of the double benefit. 

“These types of fundraisers should happen more often because it is fun for the students and makes donating exciting and rewarding,” Nels said.

While students can no longer register for the Nerf war, it’s still possible to donate to the cause directly. The war concludes March 24. For more information about the charity, visit dropinthebucket.org for the chance to make a change.