Students at Berner Middle School in the Massapequa School Distric
t did their part in the fight against breast cancer, raising more than $5,000 through its annual Think Pink fundraiser.
This was the seventh year the school has hosted the fundraiser to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On Oct. 19, students and staff were encouraged to wear pink to school. There were also several activities during lunch periods. Student 
government officers sold Think Pink T-shirts. For a small donation, students could get their faces painted by teachers, including ribbons, hearts and other pink designs. Everyone was encouraged to sign one of several Think Pink banners hanging in the cafeteria to show their support for people affected by the disease.
The Chiefs Challenge club made the banners and also collected money for the school’s donation to the Side-Out Foundation, which supports breast cancer res
earch. Eighth-grade member Erin O’Grady said it was important for students to do their part to help those battling the disease by showing them “that they don’t stand alone and that they have support.”
Throughout the school’s hallways, pink sheets of paper were hung with statistics about breast cancer. The Think Pink effort was led by teachers Kerry Regan, Denise Robertson, Caroline Glynn, Ed Hoffman and social worker Marissa Boulukos.
