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	FEATURE ARTICLES Centenarians celebrate clean living It takes a Barn Bash to raise a statue What is the secret to being married sixty years? Russell Academy rockets to the top Summer Fun Guide 2011 Clowning around at Elmer's About the MEMO MEMO Archives MEMO Advertising MEMO Country (Map) MEMO Web Neighbors MEMO Staff MEMO BLOG © 2011 Mid-county MEMO Terms & Conditions	Russell Academy rockets to the top TIM CURRAN THE MID-COUNTY MEMO On the last day of school, as part of their reward for finishing first of 594 schools in the Northwest Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Pennies for Patients program, former Portland Trail Blazer Antonio Harvey - now Blazer radio analyst - and team mascot Blaze the Trail Cat made a surprise appearance at Russell Academy last month. Mid-county Memo photo/Tim Curran In the first row, from left, is Educational Assistant and student council advisor Christy Sepich, Russell Academy Honor Hero Felicia Seery and kindergarten/first grade teacher Margaret Goff; the Russell Academy student council members are behind. COURTESY DEBBIE EBERT With its tank fueled by personal experience, the Russell Academy Rockets blasted by 594 other schools to win the annual Northwest Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Pennies for Patients campaign last month. Russell's Haley Skans, who battled kidney cancer this year, not only inspired her class - Diane Larson's kindergarteners, who bested all Russell classes with $1,181.66 collected - but served to motivate the entire Parkrose School District elementary school, bringing in almost $6,000 in three weeks. Gaining additional awareness of cancer's reach, Russell students chose their own Honor Hero: a child who had, or is battling a blood cancer whose story unfolds to fundraisers over the campaign's course. Usually chosen by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Russell students asked to choose their own; one close to home: Felicia Seery, a Parkrose High School senior, who is currently fighting Hodgkin's Lymphoma. On the final day of school, students packed the Russell Academy cafeteria for the end of year assembly. Adults were going to recognize and reward the student body for finishing first in the competitive fundraising program. Besides being the last day of school - the only other activity that day the annual foursquare tournament - there was an extra excitement permeating the room; the rare, nice spring weather outside adding a fidgety fun tension to the moment. Part of that reward was a surprise appearance - accompanied by screams of joy when announced - by former Portland Trail Blazer player, now radio analyst, Antonio Harvey and team mascot Blaze the Trail Cat. This year, schools throughout Oregon Southwest Washington, Idaho and Montana raised $320,000 for the program. Students used creative fund raising ideas in the allotted period: they sold paper pennies, specially purchased Plushland bears and red rubber Relentless bracelets - representing all blood cancers. Russell students paid $1 to wear a hat on the second Friday of the event and $1 to ditch the dress code and wear jeans for a day. Diane Larson's class received a pasta feed courtesy of the Olive Garden. WalMart gave Russell a $250.00 gift card; pennants were awarded to classrooms bringing in over $100, $200 and $300, and the school received a plaque from the Northwest Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Despite the combustible Russell Rocket vs. Russell Rocket competition that transpired later during the foursquare tourney, these kids demonstrated just as fierce a commitment to the generosity and teamwork it took to gather 590,085 pennies; one at a time.
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