Mountainside Middle School National Junior Honor Society Setting New Standards in Fundraising for Students Supporting
Brain Tumor Research

SCOTTSDALE – April 4, 2008 –Mountainside Middle School National Junior Honor Society members are often recognized for their intellect.  After all, they have competed National History Day competitions at the national level for the past five years – a virtual history dynasty among Valley middle schools.

It turns out, however, that the students’ hearts might be even larger than their intellectual prowess!  For three consecutive years, the Junior Honor Society members have raised more money for Students Supporting Brain Tumor Research (SSBTR), a Valley-based non-profit organization, than any other middle school.

For 2008, Mountainside students contributed more than $2,300 to SSBTR, a record-setting contribution for middle school students supporting the charity.  The total surpassed their then record-setting contribution of more than $2,000 in 2007.  To reach the new record, students raised the funds through walk-a-thons, selling bracelets on campus and by selling carnations on Valentine’s Day.

“If I had to take a guess at it, I’d say we’ve probably raised nearly $10,000 in the six years since we started,” said Lois Sugar, Mountainside’s National Junior Honor Society advisor.

SSBTR was founded in 2002, shortly after three students from the Paradise Valley School District died from brain tumors.  The organization’s website reports that brain tumors are the leading cause of solid tumor cancer deaths in children through high school age, and are the second leading cause of cancer deaths in young adults 20 to 39.

Sugar said the issue resonates deeply with Mountainside students, faculty and staff.  Ashley Anderson, a former Mountainside Middle School alumnus, National Junior Honor Society member and four-letter athlete, lost her fight with a brain tumor while as a student at Desert Mountain High School in 2006.  Ashley’s younger sister Jenna was a Mountainside Middle School student at the time.

“That really took us to a whole new level of commitment,” Sugar said.

In addition to the personal connection her students feel, Sugar said another reason the National Junior Honor Society supports SSBTR is that is completely student run.

“This organization has done some really tremendous work,” Sugar explained.  “The fact this it is completely student-run made it even more appealing.  What a great way to empower kids.  They really see that they can make a difference.”