Sophomore inspires Oak Knoll classmates to march in Relay for Life

Oak Knoll sophomore Lindley Hall ’18 recently spoke in front of her peers about her upcoming participation in the Relay for Life, and ended up inspiring eight of her classmates to join in the cause, raising more than $8,000 for cancer research.

Hall, whose team “The Pioneer Princesses” raised more than $3,000, said she has been participating in the relay for three years in memory of her grandfather, who succumbed to cancer before she was born, as well as for a neighbor currently battling brain cancer.

Hall, of New Providence, admitted the relay was difficult given heavy rains and cold temperatures, but used the weather as motivation during the event, which took place May 21-22 at the Watchung Reservation in Mountainside.

“I kept thinking that while the weather would improve, that is not always the case with cancer. That thought kept me motivated to keep walking despite the circumstances,” she said. “The idea behind relay is ‘cancer never sleeps,’ so during Relay for Life, neither do we.”

Hall, who was joined on her team by her sister and Oak Knoll eighth grader Caroline Hall ’20, as well as students from Pingry and New Providence High School, was glad to have inspired her classmates.

Oak Knoll seventh graders who formed their own team included Elizabeth Athaide ’21, of Maplewood; Sophie Eckert ’21, of Murray Hill; Amanda Heckmann ’21, of Millburn; Katie Lawler ’21, of Short Hills; Nicole MacMaster ’21, of Madison; Samantha Parelli ’21, of Madison; Celia Reddington ’21, of Chatham; and Kendall Williamson ’21, of Westfield.

The seventh graders’ team, “Where the Wild Things Run,” raised more than $5,000, exceeding its $1,500 goal.

The Relay for Life of Berkeley Heights included nearly 100 teams, comprised of 900 participants who raised approximately $225,000 in total.

Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child is an independent, Catholic school, coeducational in elementary school from kindergarten through grade six; and all-girls in middle and high school from grades seven through 12. For more information about Oak Knoll, please visit www.oakknoll.org or call 908-522-8109.