Alongside Edmond Memorial High School’s dress-up days, night events and assemblies, one of Swine Week’s most popular attractions is the lunch dares. From shaving heads to chugging gallons of milk, the most daring students will volunteer themselves to do just about anything in the name of philanthropy. Dares can only be completed once a certain amount of money is raised, which is then added to the total offered to the Swine Week recipient, Peaceful Family Oklahoma.
A wide range of challenges are given out. Many students will shave their heads or dye their hair, while others will chow down on cans of dog food, whole onions, or spoonfuls of cinnamon. Many people will come back and participate in multiple dares, such as Nolan O’Daniel, a sophomore who has participated in several dares, most of which included eating gross blends of food.
“Originally, I intended to do Swine Week dares just for the fun of it,” O’Daniel said. “Eventually it became more about the charity since people would donate their money for these dares to happen, and that’s something I really would like to help with.”
Several student council members, such as Jonas Lawrence, help make the dares happen by preparing or suggesting challenges for people to do. Lawrence helps host assemblies and facilitate the lunch dares throughout Swine Week. He, like many other students, understands the importance of raising money for charity, which is brought by these challenges.
“The dares are one of the staples of Swine Week,” Lawrence said. “Without them, nothing would be the same. They bring the sense of school spirit when you see your friend doing something nasty, and they raise a ton of money.”
Swine Week and its lunch dares have become a tradition among students, and EMHS students believe that the tradition is well worth keeping. Even if it is spirit week, it is at its heart a philanthropic endeavor. Sophomore Reese Merideth believes that Swine Week is a community effort.
“[Lunch dares] make raising money for charity fun and exciting,” Merideth said. “[Swine Week] brings us all closer together and it teaches us how important it is to take care of our community.”
While they can seem outlandish to some people, the lunch dares are beloved among the student body as a part of Swine Week. They raise both money and morale toward EMHS’s charitable community efforts. In the end, it is all a result of EMHS students’ school spirit.
Contact Emma Lynch at [email protected]
