​Troy High Hosts 3rd Annual Dodgeball for Charity

Troy High Hosts 3rd Annual Dodgeball for Charity

Troy, Mich.— The Personal Communications classes at Troy High School sponsored the 3rd annual school-wide Dodgeball tournament for charity on Friday, with proceeds going towards Mental Health Awareness. Earlier in the week, 525 students kicked off the tournament at 6:00 Monday night, December 11th. in a single elimination tournament where the winners of each individual class competed at the in-school assembly on Friday the 15th. Some local celebrities were on hand including – sports columnist and radio personality Terry Foster, Detroit Lions placekicker Matt Prater and Fox 2 Meteorologist Alan Longstreet—and Fox 2’s Roop Raj and Deena Centofanti lent media star power to the event. Troy School District Superintendent Rich Machesky and Deputy Superintendent Mark Dziatczak served as referees.

Said Centofanti: “We so easily talk about heart disease, diabetes and cancer, but there is still some shame involved when talking about mental illness. That needs to go away.” Troy High teacher Harriet Clark agreed, “We have to bring it into the light, instead of sitting and being all serious about it. We thought this would be a fun way to address such a serious topic, and raise awareness as well as funds.” Students had to pay to play, tshirts and bandanas were sold, a concession stand was set up, and students solicited donations from friends, family members, and community leaders. “We were really organized this year,” said Junior Rachel Turpin. “We were able to plan better and get the word out about our activities and about mental health—its all around us, and we felt we were able to help everyone—not just one person.”

As the tournament progressed, the Troy High Seniors emerged victorious, and played against the Troy High Staff Team—winning the tournament! “But the real winners were our classmates and community, for shedding light on mental health awareness,” concluded THS Senior Madison Howe. “Our slogan really summed up our mission: ‘To be healthy as a whole, mental wellness plays a role.’”

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Photos:

Winning Senior Team (in red): Caitlyn Moon, Catherine Manceor, Emma Capelli, Emma Bossenberger, Jackie Tabaka, Benjamin Kozel, Mitch Cochran, Quinn Kelly,
Dan Sully, Merrick Witkowski, Chris Kondoleon, Alex Vecchoni

Staff Superheroes: L to R: Katie Hoin, Elena Wollborg, Jesse Allgeier, Lauren Nancy

TROY COLTS:
T: Meghan Serno, R: Tim Marley, O: Mike Webster, Y: Jacqueline Ciolek, C: Kevin Ortwine, O: Cheryl Rosenblatt, L: Val Nafso, T: Emily Zedan, S: Jo Startman

VIPS: L to R: Assistant Principal Dan House, Channel 2 Reporter Roop Raj, Principal Remo Roncone

Personal Communications Team: L to R: Teacher Harriet Clark, students Sara Hak, Madison Howe, Olivia Smith, Vanesa Selimagic, and TSD Superintendent Rich Machesky