PEN‘s Annual Walk for Life Takes On New Importance
• Peninsula High held its annual Walk for Life (WFL) on Feb 21 with a changed focus from cancer to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research.
After the school’s fourth period ended, the students rushed into the carnival to enjoy food, sold by the many PVPHS clubs.
Food ranged from bubble tea to chicken bakes, and the students ate and watched various events take place in the amphitheater, including some of their teachers participating in the ice-bucked challenge.
After an hour of the carnival, the students walked over with their WFL shirts to witness the WFL ceremony. Principal Dr. Brent Kuykendall opened the ceremony with words of thanks and encouragement, then handed the microphone to Amanda Stevens, the wife of Peninsula alumni Eric Stevens who was diagnosed with ALS this past August. She spoke about their experience battling ALS thus far.
The director of Project ALS then spoke about the science behind ALS and its possible cure. Senior Stanley Huang finally came to the podium to speak about his father who recently passed away with ALS. After these speeches, students sitting on the field were asked to put the flower they were given prior to the ceremony in a vase on the track to honor the lives of ALS victims connected to PVPHS.
Finally, Kuykendall counted down for the students to throw their blue powder, made of cornstarch and dye, in the air to close the ceremony. With bags being thrown and blue hues covering the students’ faces and bodies, participants began their walk to #AxeALS.
