CARSTAIRS - Students and staff at Hugh Sutherland School (HSS) stepped up on June 17 to help out three Grade 12 students who were all diagnosed with cancer this year.
The HSS Coins for Cancer event featured a hotdog sale, games between students and staff, and ended with one student and one teacher shaving their heads.
Janet Cornell, family school wellness worker at HSS, was the teacher-organizer of the event. She said it was great to see the whole school come out and show such great support for three of their own.
"We already did a community-based fundraiser where families donated online," said Cornell. "I thought and Mr. Thompson, our principal, had approached me saying, 'Hey, why don't you do something with your leadership kids?' So it's a student-led fundraiser. It's that sense of community in that we care."
Cornell said the HSS leadership class put the Coins for Cancer event together in about two weeks.
"It was a huge success," she said. "Mrs. Pike, our socials teacher, upped the ante by saying if HSS raised $1,500 she would shave her head. So she shaved her head."
The money, which ended up being over $12,000, raised from the event and online, will be split between the three families of the students with cancer, who all wish to remain anonymous.
"That money will help with gas, hotel costs, food when they're travelling back and forth for treatment," said Cornell. "One of the students hasn't had surgery yet so it'll be definitely a big help for them."
Cornell said the three students have three different types of cancer but are all doing quite well.
"Like I said, the one student still has to have surgery next month but the doctors are saying all should go well," she said.
Cornell said the staff and students at the school were surprised when they heard about the diagnoses.
"We were in shock when we heard the first one, then the second, then the third," she said. "All this year, starting in the fall. We were thinking, what's going on? It just shows that cancer can hit anyone at any age."
Cornell said all three students will be graduating this year. She said the Coins for Cancer event was about awareness and showing support.
"Having this event and having every one of those students and staff out there laughing and cheering on the teams -- it's a success," she said. "Everyone knew this was such a worthy, important cause. The percentage of three in a school is just bizarre, and in one grade."
The individual events included tug of war with grade 3/4 students against staff, balloon dodge ball with grade 5/6 students against staff, a jello eating contest, and Slip 'N Slide baseball.
"The students picked were those who raised the most money in each class," she said. "I think everyone had a lot of fun. I think it really lightened everyone and brought some spirit to the school."
Sherry Pike said that shaving her head at the event was one way of showing support for the students.
"It's the least I could do for our kids," said Pike. "They're going through something huge in their lives at a time when they should be celebrating being done school, graduating and moving on to post-secondary. I felt if I could do something to help raise money to get them any type of support they needed it was the least I could do."
Pike said she was nervous going in but was glad to see so many kids watching and cheering them on.
"It was really exciting," she said. "It looks like they were really enjoying it. It was nice having (student) Kristin (Kinakin) up there as well. It was a really big goal for her. It was nice to see all the support from the school."
Kinakin ended up getting her head shaved in front of the school after raising the most money among the students. She told the Gazette she was glad she could help out.
"It was good," said Kinakin. "It's a little cold and quite fuzzy. My papa had cancer a while back and my Auntie Debbie. I did it for them as well as the three kids in Grade 12 with cancer. I just felt it would be a nice thing to do for them."
Kinakin, who's never had short hair before, said she had a friendly competition with another student to see who would shave their head in front of the school.
"I raised $3,214 so far," she said. "There's more coming too from my dad's workplace. I just asked people and they were very supportive."
Anyone wanting to contribute to the students can contact the Hugh Sutherland School office at 403-337-3326.
