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CVMS students go all out for Pink Out
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield Village Middle School seventh-grader Marissa Yourstowsky (front center) enjoyed the support of her classmates during the Pink Out she organized to end the school’s annual Spirit Week Oct. 11.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield Village Middle School seventh-grader Marissa Yourstowsky (right) organized a Pink Out to end the school’s Spirit Week to raise breast cancer awareness and raise money for Susan G. Komen For The Cure. Yourstowsky had the help of her classmate and friend Gina Landers (left).
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.A group of Canfield Village Middle School seventh-graders showed their support of the school’s Pink Out by going all out by dressing in pink from head to toe Oct. 11.
By ABBY SLANKER
Canfield Village Middle School seventh-grader Marissa Yourstowsky wanted to raise breast cancer awareness and add a little more school spirit to the end of the school’s annual Spirit Week, so she organized a Pink Out, during which all students were encouraged to wear pink Oct. 11.
Yourstowsky, daughter of Ron and Diane Yourstowsky, also used the day as a fundraising opportunity, asking the students to bring in any loose change, with all donations going to Susan G. Komen For The Cure.
Yourstowsky was inspired by the recent Panerathon, in which she participated with her mother.
“When my mom and I participated in the Panerathon, it was touching and sad to hear people die everyday knowing they have breast cancer. They have to leave their friends and family behind and I just wanted to try to help find a cure and I came up with the idea of a Pink Out. My aunt and uncle have cancer and when I visited them last I was sad to see the changes in them from my last visit. My uncle is getting better, so it’s nice to see that,” Yourstowsky said.
Yourstowsky estimated about 99 percent of the student body wore pink for the Pink Out.
“I’d say about 99 percent of the kids wore pink. That is incredible to me. The teachers and staff wore pink, too, which was really great to see,” Yourstowsky said.
To their credit, the CVMS students went all out to support the Pink Out. Students showed their support by wearing pink shirts, shoes, pants, shorts, skirts, jewelry, bandanas, tights, socks, sunglasses, ribbons, pins, bows, earrings and pink eye black. Some students even went so far as to paint their faces, arms, eyebrows, hair and nails pink, with a few also donning pink wigs.
“My goal for the Pink Out was to show students it’s good to make a change in their lives to help someone else. It’s cool to see the students being so helpful and making a difference. Bad things happen to people everyday and they showed everyone today that they care and were excited about having a pink day,” Yourstowsky said.
Yourstowsky collected donations at each grade level’s lunch period and each person who donated was rewarded with a piece of candy which was provided by Yourstowsky and her mom.
According to Mara Banfield, CVMS assistant principal, Yourstowsky came up with the idea and approached her to see if it could be scheduled into Spirit Week.
“I am so proud of her. It was her idea. She is a wonderful leader and is a great example for her peers. She is representative of all the kids we have here at CVMS. We have great kids here and I am proud of them for dressing up and showing their school spirit and raising money for a good cause,” Banfield said.