A night under the stars enhanced by stadium bleacher lights.  Tents pitched up along the fifty yard line. Campers enjoyed music and food, while students walked the track. Almost 600 people gathered on the football field with a common goal: to fight cancer and find a cure.

To reach this goal, high school students from Spring Valley, Clark, Northwest Career and Technical Academy, Arbor View, Centennial, Durango, Faith Lutheran and O’Callaghan Middle School gathered on the football field for an all night event, Relay for Life. Relay for Life is a 12-hour event in which participants hold the viewpoint that because cancer never rests, neither will they.

This year nearly $20,000 was raised through registration fees, individual fundraising, and items sold on the day of the event. All proceeds were donated to the American Cancer Society.

“We had a really good event,” Ms. DeVaul, the organizer, said. “There was nice weather. It went very smoothly, and the kids were great. It was on par with previous years, and I was pleased with it.”

Throughout the night participants were entertained by the O’Callaghan choir, poems by Ms. Whitt and her students, a moving Luminaria ceremony, and local entertainment. In addition, students were able to join in on games throughout the night. One such game was Mr. Relay, where boys dress up as girls and compete to win the title. “Mr. Relay was definitely one of the highlights,” Logistics chair Kristy Lam said.

For future Relays, Ms. DeVaul has her sights set on improvements. These include more funds raised prior to Relay, more teams, and more participation. “I’d like to see more teachers and faculty involved. The kids know what is going on, but I’d like to see more adults there.”

Next years Relay for Life will be held on May 4 through May 5, with more information available when the school year begins.