Wrenshall School is ‘making change’ to beat cancer

• Head shaving

This year, to help the students understand cancer, five teachers volunteered to shave their heads in front of the entire student body in support of the millions of kids who lose their hair to cancer every year. In the photo, Wrenshall School science teacher Sue Tracy gets her head shaved while her son, James (yellow shirt), looks on in anticipation. Tracy was one of five teachers who agreed to shave their heads in front of the student body in support of the Pennies for Patients fundraiser to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Contributed Photo

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Students at Wrenshall School collected Pennies for Patients to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Hosted by the student council, students teamed together, each contributing a little and the total was an amazing $2,050, beating last year’s total by $500!

The top fund-raising class in the high school was the seventh grade. In the elementary, the top group was the fourth grade. The penny drive was concluded with an assembly to see the penny jar filled to the top.

This year, to help the students understand cancer, five teachers volunteered to shave their heads in front of the entire student body in support of the millions of kids who lose their hair to cancer every year. The teachers who shaved their heads include Sue Tracy (science), Chris Gustafson (industrial technology), Adam Helbach (English), Jeanna Aldridge (world languages) and Ross Tollgaard (sixth grade).

One student or one penny acting alone doesn’t accomplish much, but when we all team up together, anything is possible. Students and staff did a great job of giving selflessly to help children and others battling blood cancer. Their efforts will help local patients and their families along with funding blood cancer research at the University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic.

Leukemia is the most common cancer in children and young adults less than 20 years old. An estimated 957,902 Americans are living with a blood cancer, and every four minutes, someone new is diagnosed. Since 1992, $6.7 million has been raised locally by thousands of pre-kindergarten, elementary, middle, high school and college students.

For information regarding local programs and services of the Minnesota Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, call

1-888-220-4440 or visit www.LLS.org/mn.

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