ONTARIO, Ohio – The gymnasium of Ontario Middle School was slick with whipped cream by the end of the school day Wednesday after 28 teachers were pied in the face – all for a good cause.
Students at Ontario Middle School gathered to raise $352 for the chance to pie their teachers in the face. All proceeds will help their classmate in need, 13-year-old Cameron Friend. Cameron was diagnosed with T-lymphoblastic leukemia on Sept. 22 after masses were found on his chest, stomach, and kidney.
“He is just a fantastic kid – great student and great athlete, everybody’s friend,” said Sue Weirich, principal at Ontario Middle School. “It’s been depressing.”
However, instead of dwelling on the negative, Cameron’s classmates rallied to organize Wednesday’s fundraising event where students could pay $1 for a chance to pie their teacher. Tickets were deposited into each teacher’s respective bag throughout the week, and names were drawn on Wednesday for the honor of smashing a whipped cream pie into a teacher’s face.
The idea for the “pie-a-teacher” fundraiser came from the middle school’s eighth grade student council. Advisor Annalee Stover said once the students found out about Cameron’s diagnosis, they began brainstorming ideas.
“This was an idea they really wanted to do, and it just took off,” Stover said. “I was really excited because we really wanted to do something, so we took it and ran with it.”
Stover said members of student council made rounds throughout the school to ask teachers if they would like to participate, and how many times. Teachers could be pied in the face up to five times, if they volunteered.
“The teachers were very willing, we all are very supportive of our community and we all just said yes,” Stover said.
Weirich also volunteered for three pies to the face.
“It’s trying to take a serious matter and try to make something fun out of it, try to get the students thinking happy because we’re all sad about Cameron,” Weirich said. “Some of the kids have asked me why I agreed to do this, and I told them it’s because I believe in it for Cameron.”
Kim Sorensen, an eighth grade teacher at Ontario Middle School, volunteered for one pie in the face.
“This was all for Cam, so we are on board to do everything and anything we can to help,” she said.
Two other local events will be held in the coming weeks to benefit Cameron and another Ontario student recently diagnosed with cancer, Bronson Radebaugh. The first is the WARRIORSTRONG Cancer Benefit Auction, slated to begin at 6:40 p.m. Oct. 31 at Snow Trails; the second is the WARRIORSTRONG 5K at Marshall Park in Ontario at 5 p.m. on Nov. 1.
Cameron is currently undergoing chemotherapy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. His father, Todd Friend, told Richland Source the support the family has received from the Ontario community has been “indescribable.”
“Ontario has always been a good community, they’ve always stepped up to help when it’s needed,” Sorensen said. “But I’ve never seen anything like this, in 55 years I’ve not seen anything like this. These kids have not stopped … I am amazed.”
“He is just a fantastic kid – great student and great athlete, everybody’s friend,” said Principal Sue Weirich.
