New high school to have Relay presence

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While the 2009 Woodbury Relay for Life is still more than a month away, teams are already assembling and strategizing everything from T-shirt designs to fundraising initiatives.

Count East Ridge High School among the organizations that will have representation at the annual community event that focuses on raising funds to support the American Cancer Society.

Although the ERHS doors won’t officially open to students for the first time until September, East Ridge teachers, faculty and students are already starting a tradition by fielding a team for the Relay For Life, principal Aaron Harper confirmed.

The school plans to have two teams on the track for the June 19 event, one that is faculty heavy and one that is made up mostly of East Ridge students.

Although many of the teacher and faculty positions for the new high school have been filled, it’s been a welcomed challenge to find students for the Relay For Life team, who haven’t yet began their careers inside the walls of East Ridge, Harper said.

“It has been a challenge, but it’s something that we’ve been facing on a number of different issues the last several months,” Harper said.

The solution: Harper has several faculty member who have committed to the Relay effort who are wrapping up their school year in other schools in the district.

Those staff members have been marketing the East Ridge Relay for Life team to students in their schools who will be East Ridge students this fall, Harper said.

“We’ve got potential team members scattered throughout buildings in the district, and our faculty team members will try to reach them that way,” Harper said.

Harper will also be marketing the Raptor Relay for Life team to future East Ridge students of schools he plans to visit before the end of the school year.

Last Friday the ERHS principal spoke to about 150 students at Cottage Grove Junior High that will be East Ridge students this fall. During his session on the topic of starting a new tradition at a new school, Harper included a plug for the Relay For Life team.

“The Relay for Life is obviously a great opportunity to do something for cancer research, but it also presents an opportunity for some of our kids and staff to get a head start on developing a sense of unity and community,” Harper said. “That’s got me excited about this event.”

East Ridge isn’t the only school drafting a team for the Relay for Life. Lake Junior High also plans to get a student/faculty team together for the event, said event organizer Mary La Prairie.

Students interested in joining the East Ridge High School Relay For Life teams can contact faculty team members Elizabeth Becker at Lake Junior High (ebecker@sowashco.k12.mn.us) or Carolle Neisius at Park High School (cneisius@swc833.org).

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