SHS Admin and Staff take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Submitted by lana.hiskey on

During Springville High’s traditional “Hello Assembly” on Thursday, August 28, SHS administration and staff took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to promote student and staff donations to the ALS foundation in an effort to increase research in combating this debilitating disease.   ALS is often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”   

SHS staff who took the challenge included:  Principal Mike Brown, Assistant Principals Lynn Mecham and Scott Johnson, Athletic Director Cathi Jarvis, Athletic Trainer Lisa Walker, Officer Randy Sorenson, Football Coaches Willy Child and Doug Bills, and Campus Supervisor Mark Binks.

They each challenged the student body to donate money to the foundation and to take the challenge themselves.  In addition, each member publicly challenged other individuals to participate.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice water on someone's head to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research.  It went viral on social media during July-August 2014.

The challenge dares nominated participants to be filmed having a bucket of ice water poured on their heads and challenging others to do the same. A common stipulation is that nominated people have 24 hours to comply or forfeit by way of a charitable financial donation.

Just what is ALS?  ALS was first found in 1869 by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, but it wasn’t until 1939 that Lou Gehrig brought national and international attention to the disease. Ending the career of one of the most beloved baseball players of all time, the disease is still most closely associated with his name. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.  (from:  www.alsa.org)

To find out more about the challenge and how you can help fight ALS, visit the foundation’s site at:  http://www.alsa.org/fight-als/ice-bucket-challenge.html

 

Attributions
Carey White SHS News Adviser