Schools
#IurkaStrong: 2 Students Raise Money For Smithtown Teacher Who Battled Cancer
Two girls raised nearly $800 in honor of Rick Iurka, a Nesaquake Middle School teacher who fought cancer, by selling #iurkastrong bracelets.
ST. JAMES, NY — Rick Iurka, a social studies teacher at Nesaquake Middle School, defeated cancer.
Iurka reunited with faculty and students at the recent moving up ceremony after he battled the disease the past few months, the Smithtown Central School District announced.
Iurka looked forward to seeing two students in particular: Gracyn Catalanotto and Morgan DeBello.
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Upon hearing about his cancer battle, Catalanotto and DeBello, who had Iurka in seventh grade, raised money for him by buying #iurkastrong bracelets and selling them throughout the school. The girls raised $771 dollars and will send that money to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Iurka plans on returning to teaching in the fall, the school district wrote.
Find out what's happening in Smithtownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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