The school was awarded as the top 4A campus for  blood drives for the 2022 – 2023 school year, donating just over 180 units of blood. HOSA, which organizes and hosts the blood drive every year, plans to continue setting the lead with a new goal of 215 units of blood for this year. 

“It was really cool to hear that we were the top donating school,” HOSA officer and senior Kenzie Roberts said. “I got to go around the school telling people about it and being proud of it.”

The blood drive itself requires much preparation to ensure both equipment and donors are prepared. During the blood drive, HOSA officers and volunteers are tasked with looking everything over and ensuring donors are well-cared for. After donating blood, students also need to be walked back to class to make sure they are well.

“There’s a lot of planning that goes into [the drive],” HOSA officer and senior Luke Rogers said. “On top of that, we have to make sure donors are being cared for and monitor them to make sure they’re okay after-the-fact.”

Members of HOSA have expressed their gratitude at receiving this award, being able to top Belton High School, the campus usually ranked first. In a broader sense, officers have stated that the award not only represents HOSA, but the entire community at the school and the responsibility and dedication of every donor and participant. 

“I’m super proud of the other HOSA officers and the people who donated,” Roberts said. “Everyone and everything came together really nicely, and I hope this year’s blood drive does even better.”

With another small-scale blood drive scheduled for April 16, HOSA hopes to reach or succeed their new goal for the year of 215 units. The school has currently donated 190 units of blood this year, already  surpassing the final amount from the previous year for which it was awarded.

“The whole day of the drive takes work, but we’re satisfied with how it always turns out,” Rogers said. “Taking care of the students who’ve donated and making sure things run smoothly is a long process, but in the end we’re happy to help people in need of the donations.”