To be or not to be is the question Rock Island High School staff members asked themselves.
The Rock Island High School Drama Club hosted the Hot Shakes Challenge. 10 staff members volunteered to taste increasing levels of hot sauce while reading short selections from Shakespeare's great works. Staff were not allowed to take a drink until after they read the selection.
The cost for audience members was $1 or 2 non-perishable food items. The donations will benefit the River Bend Food Bank Student Hunger Drive.
The staff members who competed were Brendan Sears, Tim Corwin, Jason Kitterman, Pete Carlin, Ann Boege, Lonnie Behnke, Madison Emamjomeh, Katie Dennis, Caitlin Clough, and Jeff Whitaker.
As staff advanced to the next level, not only did the hot sauce get hotter but the Shakespeare readings got longer.
For teacher Ann Boege, she chose to wash down the hot sauce with Honey. "My students researched for me what would be best to cleanse my palate with. It worked better than the milk."
Drama Club member and Rocky student Nyx King said they took it easy on the staff.
"We researched hot sauce levels and decided not to go with anything that could harm them, so we could have gone hotter."
In the end, five staff members made it to the final level of the challenge - Ghost Pepper!
"It was great not seeing them so composed," said Nyx.
The Drama Club plans on making this an annual event.
The five champions! Brendan Sears, Tim Corwin, Lonnie Behnke, Madison Emamjomeh, Katie Dennis, and Caitlin Clough
