The
Walter Johnson High School
Pitch
January 29, 2010
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Pennies for Patients
By Liz Wasden
On the first of February, the Leadership class will kick off the beginning of the Pennies for Patients program with Wizards tickets sales at school, the first of many fundraisers raising money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. The goal this year is to raise $16,372.33, bettering last year’s total which was $15,637. To meet this goal, the Leadership class has scheduled a few new events this year to make the extra thousand dollars. “We are trying to get as many people involved by making all the events more fun,” said senior Allison Radack, a member of the Leadership class. “Everyone should get involved as much as possible. People are even signed up to count money after school all month.” The calendar (see facing image) includes events from last year, like Stuck for a Buck, a Ping Pong tournament, Pong, a video game tournament, the Burrito Mile and restaurant fundraisers, as well as some new events like a Futsal tournament, a Quidditch Match, bracelet sales, a Wizards game in which some proceeds go towards Pennies for Patients and a winter dance. Also, all students will have the opportunity to contribute by adding whatever they can to the many money collection boxes in each classroom and those passed around in the halls. The money that is donated to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society greatly impacts the afflicted patients and their families, providing not only money for research, but also financial support for the families. “It’s a really good program in that we can come together as a school to raise money for a great cause,” said Radack. “The society helps fund research and it directly helps families, as well as works closely with kids.” Leukemia, according to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society Web site, is a malignant disease (cancer) of the bone marrow and blood. It is characterized by the uncontrolled accumulation of blood cells. Lymphoma is the name for a group of blood cancers that develop in the lymphatic system. The lymphoma cells pile up and form masses that gather in the lymph nodes or other parts of the lymphatic system. An estimated 913,000 people in the U.S. are currently afflicted with Leukemia or a type of Lymphoma. Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among people under the age of 20. Every four minutes someone is diagnosed with Leukemia/Lymphoma and every 10 minutes someone dies from these diseases. The increase in funding for research about these blood cancers has really turned around the statistics. The five year relative survival rate has nearly quadrupled in the past 48 years. “If you take a look at the success rate of Leukemia Lymphoma Society for the past 20 years, you can see a dramatic decrease in lives lost because of the funding that has been contributed to research,” said Leadership class supervisor Nico Atencio. This year,WJ may feel more pressure from the competition than ever before, as the poster child for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society fundraiser is Tim King, The Tiger Woods Scandal Pg. 6
Volume 54 | Issue 5
6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, Md. 20814
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$16,372.33 2/11 Pong Tournament
2/19 Wizards Game
Photo courtesy of flickr.com
2/23 Futsal Tournament a student at Walt Whitman High School. King serves as an incentive for students to raise money because he attends Whitman, encouraging students there to finally take the title from WJ. In the region of Maryland for Pennies for Patients to which the school belongs, WJ has held the record for most money raised for four years, and last year was ranked 14th in the nation on the list amount of money raised by schools. “I just want to say thank you to the whole WJ community,” said Atencio. “It means a lot to me and to others to see how generous the WJ community has been and the effort they have put into raising money for this cause.” A Story of Adoption Pg. 8-9
2/9 Ping Pong Tournament
2/18 Video Game Tournament
2/20 *
Burrito Mile* Graphic courtesy of Alex Willett
2/26
WJ Hallway Fashion Pg. 11
Winter Dance Photo courtesy of flickr.com All other photos by Celia Karp
All information is valid as of Jan. 27. * This is not a school-sponsored event Boys Basketball Pg. 15