Despite the thunderstorm warnings and the non-stop downpours, over 850 people attended the Relay for Life at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. “We stay[ed] overnight at a specific place, and honor[ed] those who have either died from [cancer] or are struggling right now,” said junior Alay Tedla.

The event, held on Saturday, May 22, was a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society.  Two teams of 33 students from AHS attended the event this year, and raised over $5,000 for the cause. “We canvassed neighborhoods, and tried to get people to donate. We held a car wash and we held bake sales,” said junior Kevin Cleary.

At the relay, people joined teams and celebrated those who have survived, as well as remember those who have been lost to cancer. “Some of the activities there include having at least one team member walking on the track throughout the night, in order to symbolize that the fight against cancer never ends,” said Tedla.

There were also a ton of fun and games to keep participants active throughout the night, like “sponge wars”.  “It’s when you throw sponges at people and we all get soaked,” said junior Matt McCartney.
Many AHS students who attended the event had very close ties to the fight against cancer, as they have had friends and family experience it in one way or another.

“[My sister had] Retina blastoma. [She] had to go through six cycles of chemotherapy, and we had to drive up to Philly like four times a year to get her eye treated. It was really tough because she lost all her hair and kids at the hospital were missing eyes. I hated seeing the suffering. I wanted to make sure that no one had to go through what she did,” said junior Julian Jordan.