Coffee company awards Clovis High $500

After months of caffeinated competition, Rare Earth Coffee has declared Clovis High School the winner of its first School Spirit Challenge. The local coffee company donated $500 to the school’s leadership program last week.

Between October and December, employees at Rare Earth Coffee’s Clovis location inside the Johnny Quik at Willow and Alluvial avenues tallied up customers’ drink purchases.

“They would tell us which school they represented it and we would mark it down,” said manager Amber Castillo. “It wasn’t just the students but also their parents, friends. There were a lot of alumni from the schools, too.”

The competition was among the high schools that surround the Johnny Quik location: Clovis, Clovis West, Clovis North, Buchanan and Fresno Christian.

It was a close battle.

Clovis High School beat Buchanan by just three drinks. Just 13 drinks separated first and last place.

“We’re always looking to reach the younger people because they’re the next generation of coffee drinkers,” said Trevor Beal, Rare Earth Coffee’s vice president of marketing.

Clovis High’s leadership program will use the money to assist in its philanthropic work, including helping with the Clovis Mayor’s Breakfast, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the American Heart Association and more, said the school’s secretary, Patti Carpenter. Some of the funds may also be used to sponsor a student for leadership camp, she said.

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Coffee company awards Clovis High $500."