By Jennifer Zittnan
news@thewoodstockindependent.com
At 6 p.m. on Oct. 15, Turning Point will host their annual candlelight vigil in the Woodsto…
October 6, 2026
The Rotary Club of Woodstock sponsors Interact Clubs at Woodstock and Woodstock North High Schools. Stacey Pequeno is the advisor at WHS while Kristy Hinz advises the club at WNHS. The Rotary Club liaison is Chris Cantwell.
Rotary Clubs expect their student service clubs to carry out at least two service projects each year, one to benefit the school and community and one to promote international understanding. Students run the club themselves. Avri Howard is president at WNHS and Emilia Risco is president at WHS. These two clubs expect to be very active in the community.
“Stacey and I decided to have our clubs host the first Crosstown Charity Battle, which took place during the week preceding the annual Crosstown Rival football game on Friday, Sept. 11,” said Hinz. “During the week before the game we asked the two schools to compete against each other in collecting coins in a ‘coin war’ which would support the Rotary Club’s annual Christmas Clearing House drive.”
In a coin war collection, coins count as positive points and paper dollars are negative points that reduce the total score. In the days leading up to the big game, club members designed and printed flyers, held reminder signs at drop off points outside and inside school and staffed coin war tables during lunch hours. Frequent announcements about the battle were broadcast to the student body. The principal at the losing coin wars school would provide a meal for members of the winning club.
“We are excited that together we raised $574 for Christmas Clearing House,” said Hinz. “The winning Charity Battle school, which was announced at the football game, was Woodstock North. Its Interact Club will celebrate with a pizza party provided by WHS principal John Liuzzi.”
“We are hoping to make this an annual tradition because this is such a worthwhile charity effort that benefits so many of our students,” said Pequeno. “We are looking forward to doing shared volunteer work this school year as well. We are starting to make plans for World Interact Week in November.”