The month of October is often associated with the one day held every year dedicated to the ones affected by breast cancer. It’s normal for the school to have a pink out day where the student body all come to school dressed in the color pink but not many students think about the meaning of the day when it ends. A lot of people never really stop and actually think about what they are wearing this color for and what it is really representing. 

Leadership sponsor Susan Waldrep changed that this year by taking a week out of the month to dedicate it to the survivors of and all those affected by cancer, while also including all TISD schools. 

“I think that when you involve the community and let them know it’s more than just words, this could be our lifestyle,” Waldrep said.  

Everyday this week the student body wore a different color to call attention to all the different types of cancer: kidney, leukemia, prostate, stomach, colon, ovarian, esophageal, liver, non-hodgkin’s lymphoma, gallbladder and breast cancer. 

“TigerVision has helped to get the word out about nutrition and exercise as well as things you can do to help prevent you from getting it,” Waldrep said. 

Leadership classes also prepared coloring pages of the cancer ribbon prior to this week to send out to all TISD elementary schools. 

“We asked the elementary schools to color them by grade, and once we got them back, the Texas High art department made a banner out of them for [the football game],” Waldrep said. “The TMS art department also helped with the making of these banners.” 

A lantern release will be held Oct. 29 in honor of all the students, staff and loved ones affected by cancer. To prepare for this, cheerleaders and leadership students sold lanterns for those wishing to honor anyone or to just help raise awareness for the illness. 

“When we started off, we were saying if we get 20, it will be great and now we have 100,” Waldrep said. “So let’s just say it surpassed my expectation to say the least.”  

Waldrep’s desire to have a cancer awareness week like no other were met, giving the students of Texas High the ability to honor those who struggle with the illness.

“The lantern launch was Mrs. Waldrep’s way of getting everybody together to honor their loved ones who have had/has cancer,” junior Emma Giddings said. “I think it was an incredible way of spreading awareness and will get more people besides the students and teachers to participate in our cancer week.”