When thinking of Edmond Memorial Swine Week, one might think of the assemblies, dress up days, lunch time dares and/or the final reveal of the grand total. It’s easy to be swept into the magic of the final assembly, but one can forget how the student body achieved this moment. All of the events from the Hog Jog to the Daddy Daughter Dance had to be planned and organized. The Student Council (StuCo) puts in months of work to make Swine Week a reality, but they can’t do it all alone. To allow Swine Week to be as eventful and meaningful as it can be, Royalty has stepped in to help. 

Swine Week Royalty has been around for decades, acting as StuCo’s little sibling. Their job is to help spread the word and raise money for the charity of the year. They can create their own events, contact businesses, design sweatshirts, bake piggy pastries and anything else they can think of. Every member has full creative control on how they meet their goals and how they can help. This allows StuCo to focus on the bigger events. 

“StuCo has thirty students, and with the number of events that we put on, it’s way too much to do it all ourselves,” StuCo advisor Jeff Lovett said. “Without the help of almost a hundred other students partnering with us, we wouldn’t be able to raise anywhere close to what we do every year. Royalty provides a solid base for us each year.”

 This six-month-long fundraiser is no easy task to set up; it requires obtaining sponsors, event spaces, participants and attendees for most of the activities. Having the inside scoop on all the effort it takes provides Royalty members with a new found appreciation for Swine Week and the work behind it. 

“Royalty has changed my perspective on Swine Week because I’ve been able to see what it’s like behind the scenes,” junior Lauren Langwell said. “Swine Week is great, but it’s even better when you get to contribute to the cause.”

With the members able to pick and choose what works best for them, there are parts of Swine Week that may change over the years; it merely depends on who is in the driver’s seat at the given moment. These changes can make the weeks exciting because no one knows what will happen next. 

“Over the years I have fundraised for Swine Week in several ways,” senior Mary Woolston said. “I have helped sell piggy pastries, Pura Vida bracelets, auction tickets and more. I have also been a part of running a few events, including the garage sale, restaurant nights, a Kendra Scott fundraiser and This Little Piggy Went To Market.”

After a grueling couple of months, hearing the final total makes all of Royalty’s hard work worth it. Last year, sophomores, Ally Owen and Analiese Palmer raised the most money out of all the Royalty groups. Their dedication to helping a greater cause was how they were able to make their dreams come true.

“Analiese and I hosted meetings for company owners and provided them information about sponsorships and ways they can donate. We also created restaurant nights and talked to our friends and family about donating,” Owen said. 

Helping Swine Week doesn’t fall on the shoulders of StuCo and the seniors alone. It takes the whole school to make a difference in the lives of the recipients. Owen and Palmer were only in their first year here at Memorial when they raised thousands of dollars for Swine Week’s 2022 recipients, The Care Center. They were surprised they pulled this off because there are lots of other hard workers in the program. This proves that even the Swine Week newbies can help in making the final total. 

“It was pretty amazing that Ally and I raised the most amount of money in Royalty our freshman year because most of the time we had no idea what we were doing,” Palmer said.

The 2023 Swine Week recipient is The Hope House. They help women and children facing homelessness. The program’s goal is to keep families together during their time of need. With the money that is raised from the efforts of the student body, they will be able to finish renovating new apartments for the moms and children in their program. 

Having a philanthropy week that has reached the hearts of thousands over the years, students of Memorial have been able to be a part of something bigger than themselves. During high school, some people might only think about themselves and their needs, but as a Bulldog, the school is thinking of “we” rather than “me.”

 “In high school, it’s easy for the little things to feel like big things. ACT scores, GPA, sports and other extracurriculars seem like they are the biggest things in the world,” Lovett said. “While they are important, Swine Week gives these young people the opportunity to recognize that there are a lot of people out there that are hurting and might not have the same privileges that we do. It’s a chance for everyone to stop and think about others and make a difference in the community.”

Royalty works for months on end out of the goodness of their hearts. As they don’t receive much recognition for their hard work, they don’t do it for fame. So be ready to “open your hearts and your wallets” for Swine Week (March 6-10) because at the end of the day, it’s all for the kids.  

Contact Bridget Nye at [email protected]