SCS students raise money for cancer research
Mary Malone Staff Writer | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 6 months AGO
(Photo by MARY MALONE) Sandpoint Christian School teacher Kara Craemer, left, shows off her face full of whipped cream after a tin full of the sticky substance was shoved in her face by cancer survivor and SCS staff member Sharon Gayer, right. The SCS students were tasked with raising money for the American Cancer Society, and after they raised $342.26, seeing their teacher take a pie in the face was one of several rewards they reaped.
(Photo by MARY MALONE) Sandpoint Christian School third-grader Ty Simeral, right, cuts one of four braids measuring about 14-inches from the head of Julianne Mulbrook, left, SCS custodian and mother of a long-time SCS student. Ty is assisted by SCS teacher Jenny Pierce, center. All of the school’s students were tasked with raising money for the American Cancer Society, and after they raised $342.26, cutting Mulbrook’s hair was one of several rewards they reaped.
(Photo by MARY MALONE) Sandpoint Christian School teacher Kara Craemer, left, prepares to take a face full of whipped cream as cancer survivor and SCS staff member Sharon Gayer, right, prepares to deliver it. The SCS students were tasked with raising money for the American Cancer Society, and after they raised $342.26, seeing their teacher take a pie in the face was one of several rewards they reaped.
(Photo by MARY MALONE) Sandpoint Christian School teacher Kara Craemer, left, takes a face full of whipped cream, delivered by cancer survivor and SCS staff member Sharon Gayer, right. The SCS students were tasked with raising money for the American Cancer Society, and after they raised $342.26, seeing their teacher take a pie in the face was one of several rewards they reaped.
(Photo by MARY MALONE) Sandpoint Christian School third-grader Cruz Robertson, left, cuts one of four braids measuring about 14-inches from the head of Julianne Mulbrook, center, SCS custodian and mother of a long-time SCS student. Cruz is assisted by SCS teacher Jenny Pierce, right. All of the school's students were tasked with raising money for the American Cancer Society, and after they raised $342.26, cutting Mulbrook's hair was one of several rewards they reaped. In addition to the money raised, Mulbrook will donate her hair, which was cut off by four different students, to make wigs fo…
(Photo by MARY MALONE) Sandpoint Christian School students were tasked with raising money for the American Cancer Society, and after they raised $342.26, the SCS staff wearing tutus was one of several rewards they reaped. From left, Jenny Pierce, Wendy Butcher, Madisen McArthur, Lauri Pedevilla, Kelly Osborn, Doug Pierce, Karen Foster, Amy Larsen, Liz Page and Kara Craemer.
SANDPOINT — Cheers erupted from Sandpoint Christian School students Wednesday as they watched their teacher take a pie in the face.
Four students were chosen to cut 14 inches from the school custodian's long hair, which also called for cheers — and maybe a little cringing from some of the girls. All of the teachers, including Doug Pierce, were dressed in colorful tutus as well.
While these antics were fun for the kids and staff, there was a deeper purpose behind it all, as the students were tasked with raising money for the American Cancer Society. To make it more interesting for the kids, each teacher set forth a challenge. The pie, haircut and tutus were a few of the rewards for meeting those challenges.
In total, the students raised $342.26 toward cancer research and awareness.
"We encourage our kids to do chores to raise the money, instead of just asking people for money," said SCS Principal Liz Page. "It's character building — we can use our own two hands to help others."
Six donation jars were set out in the classes, and for Page's challenge, she told the students if each jar had a minimum of $10 at the end, the staff would wear tutus. They easily met and surpassed that challenge.
Jenny Pierce, first- and second-grade teacher, who served as the master of ceremonies for the event, told the kids if each jar had $20 in it, they would get an extra 20 minutes of recess. If each jar had $30, they would get 30 minutes of recess. The jar with the least amount of cash at the end of the challenge had $32.51, so again, the students met and surpassed the challenge amount. In other challenges, the kindergartners were rewarded with pie to eat, and the seventh and eighth graders got a "mad minutes party."
Third- and fourth-grade teacher Kara Craemer was the one who got the pie in the face after her jar totalled more than $105. Julianne Mulbrook, who is a parent of a long-time SCS student as well as the school custodian, said she would cut 12 inches off her hair if the students raised a total of $200. If they raised $300, she would cut off 13 inches. As the total neared the midway point between $300-$400, she opted to round up and have the students chop 14 inches from her hair.
Mulbrook's challenge will also benefit those with cancer as she plans to donate the locks to be used to make wigs for children.
Every year, Page said, the students and staff are inspired to help a medical research organization inspired by an illness that has affected their school family. Last year, she said, they raised money for cystinosis, because a cousin of one of the students was affected by the disease. In a previous year, they raised money for leukemia in honor of student's dad who had died. This year, inspiration came from a SCS staff member, Sharon Gayer, and an SCS parent, Lora Fedak, who died of cancer last year.
Gayer spent the last year battling breast cancer, and on Wednesday morning had the honor of shoving the tin full of whipped cream into the face of Craemer.
"It's because of things like this, where you are raising money for cancer research, that I am here today," Gayer told the kids. "Without the research they have been doing over the years, I wouldn't have been able to get the treatment — multiple treatments — to be able to still be alive, so I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.
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