Major Pratt School’s largest and only high school fundraiser is the King and Queen Competition. It runs from the first day of school in September until the Friday before
Thanksgiving, culminating in the Beef and Barley Pageant. Throughout this time, the entire high school population is divided into 6 areas: Russell South, Russell North,
Inglis, Binscarth, Waywayseecappo and Russell Rural. Students from each group choose a king and queen candidate to represent their area and begin fundraising by
selling tickets for cash prizes provided by student council as well as other unique fundraisers that have included movie nights, beauty days, car washes and detailing,
silent auctions, bingo nights, paint and craft nights, fall suppers, volleyball clinics and tournaments, and so much more! The winning group is the area that brings in
the most money. Their king and queen are crowned at the high school Beef and Barley Pageant and fulfill various duties for the town during the Thanksgiving weekend.
Money raised throughout these five weeks is equally divided between extracurricular and academic initiatives. These include: class field trips, offsetting the cost of the
yearbook, grad, grad bursaries, school sports and student council activities – including gym blasts, multimedia presentations, dances, guest speakers, artists in the
school, spirit weeks, etc.
This year’s area groups went above and beyond in their efforts, raising a total amount of $38,136.05!
Congratulations to the 2026 Beef and Barley Queen and King, Ava Melnyk and Aiden Chuchmuch, who represented Russell Rural. Their group raised $11,525.45! Second
place went to Waywayseecappo with a total of $6396.00 and third place went to Inglis, raising $5562.00.
The winners of this year’s cash prizes are: 1st prize - $500 – Linda Genaille, Russell, MB, 2nd prize -$300 - Irving Galang, Russell, MB, 3rd prize - $200 – Levi Derkach,
Silverton, MB
Big shout-out to the king and queen candidates and the managers from each area for all their hard work in organizing events. Major Pratt School would like to give a
special shout out to Adam Bunn and Erika Schappert, the 2026 Beef and Barley student council reps as well as Arianna Ruiz-Valadez and Ty Laycock, this year's student
council secretaries that were responsible for counting the money during their free time. Major Pratt School would also like to acknowledge the communities of Russell,
Binscarth, Waywayseecappo, Inglis, Russell Rural and other surrounding areas for their tremendous support once again.