makenziefuss

For the second year in a row, Marian’s cheer team has found something new to cheer about this October. Sporting bright pink shirts and bows for sporting events, the girls are cheering for breast cancer awareness. Coach Allie Clark, a former cheerleader for Gross High School, introduced this idea in 2014.

“I choose to have the cheerleaders do this because I believe that by simply wearing pink it brings about a conversation on breast cancer, and it allows for awareness of breast cancer to spread. The girls wear pink in support of those who have won their battles with cancer and in remembrance of those who, unfortunately, did not,” Clark said.

For Clark, this means more than simply a change in uniform. This is personal. “I have had several women in my family suffer from breast cancer, most recently being my cousin Kim who is a mother of three young girls. She, thankfully, won her battle with breast cancer, but some women are not always so lucky,” Clark said.

The girls have been more than willing to swap their Marian blue for hot pink. “I really like wearing pink because it supports a great cause,” freshman Cecilia Kolterman said.

This seems to be the popular opinion of the cheer squad. Marian’s core values of service and compassion lead students to not only understand the suffering of others, but also to want to do anything they can to help.

With the holidays right around the corner, there is plenty to be thankful for, including the bright pink shirts and even brighter smiles of the cheerleaders.