Kick-It is a charitable kickball event and game we do every year in 8th grade hosted by Alex’s Lemonade Stand. The 8th grade gets a chance to compete, raise money, and have a game of kickball out on the field for prizes!
The reason CFMS does Kick-It is thanks to a boy named Quinn Clarke. Quinn was 10 years old when he had his second struggle with cancer, and one of his wishes was to have a kickball game to raise funds for cancer research. To Quinn’s surprise, more than 500 people showed up! Quinn unfortunately passed away on December 28th, 2021 during his third battle with cancer. Chagrin Middle School and many schools around the country still have participated in Quinn’s legacy.
Mrs. Jennifer Remaley, the teacher who plans and organizes Kick-It, said the point of Kick-It was to not only raise funds but to get the word out about cancer research and the negative effects cancer has on our lives. Remaley said, “Childhood cancer is a devastating disease. At CFMS we choose to follow Quinn’s and Alex’s steps by raising awareness and funds to make serious strides in research. Every. Dollar. Counts. Thank you for your continued support!”
An 8th-grader who helped plan the event, Morgan Graves, said that Kick-It was a great way to raise awareness and money for a great cause. For Kick-It, you need sponsors/donors to fund prizing, some of this year’s donors were The Popcorn Shop, 2 Belles, and Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Along with sponsors, 8th graders also have a chance to fund the event when they buy a shirt or bandana matching the color of their class! “I hope that raising money for Kick-It makes others want to help more,” Graves said.
Along with 8th-grade planners, the event brought senior referees from the high school! One of these referees was Grant Alberts. Alberts said his motive for joining us during kick-it was, “I wanted to do kick-it because it has a cause that is very important and close to me. It was a great time being with all of the middle schoolers and I had a lot of fun.”
During Kick-It, each 8th-grade class sports a different color! Valletta’s group wore black, Gallo’s group wore dark blue, Lardell’s group sported green, Mrofchak in pink, Aranavage in red, Martorello’s group wore orange, and Ausperk’s class sported red!
Aranavage’s advisory class won the tournament. Mrofchak won overall. 1st place class will be rewarded with a trip down to the popcorn shop during an advisory period with their teacher. 2nd and 3rd will get a sweet treat! In total, CFMS entire school raised $5,012.24. Way to go Chagrin!
Photo Gallery by Stuart Cain below
Photo Gallery by Charlie Bird Below
Photo Gallery by Cameron Giles, edited by Liv Cline
