NBJH bears down on diabetes

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the northbrook tower | October 10, 2013 | 39
sports
northbrooktower.com NBJH bears down on diabetes
Students win
ADA fundraising
competition
Jamie Bradley, Assistant Editor
22nd century media
1st-and-3
Stars of the Week
1. Amy Hong (Above).
Hong finished in second place at the CSL
North Conference
golf competition,
falling in a one-hole
playoff to her opponent from New Trier.
2. Nick Hardy. Hardy
took first place as an
individual in the CSL
North Conference
golf competition with
an 18-hole score of
70 (-2), his second
first-place finish in as
many years.
3. A.J. Spitz. The GBN
signal-caller rushed
for three touchdowns
and picked up another through the air
in a 44-7 victory over
Deerfield on Oct. 4.
Northbrook Junior High
School was visited by members of the Chicago Bears
organization on Oct. 1 in
celebration of the school’s
fundraising efforts for the
American Diabetes Association.
The school participated
in the Chicago Bears- and
ADA-sponsored “Punt, Pass,
Kick” competition, or “PPK
for the ADA,” and beat
out nine other competing
schools in total funds raised,
collecting over $7,500 in all.
Every year, NBJH chooses a charity to be the focus of
its annual fundraiser, which
generally culminates in a
walk-a-thon.
“The students nominate
the charities, and we have
a school-wide vote, and
the American Diabetes Association was chosen,”
NBJH health teacher Wendy
Concklin said. “In years,
past we’ve done a walk ...
and in this case, we did the
Punt, Pass, Kick [competition] because it was the
new thing.”
As part of the PPK for
the ADA event, students
got the opportunity to learn
about diabetes and the ADA
while also taking some time
to learn the proper skills involved in punting, passing
Listen Up
“He is such a fantastic ball striker and has
such an amazing ability to bounce back after a
bad hole.”
Justin Gerbich ­— GBN boys golf coach on Nick Hardy’s 2-underpar performance in the CSL Conference competition.
NBJH seventh-grader Jared Kuper (second from right)
poses with (left to right) Chicago Bears chairman George
McCaskey, tight end Steve Maneri and Staley.
and kicking.
“I think what they’ve accomplished is absolutely
amazing,” said Mallory
Dahlquist, associate manager of mission delivery and
youth initiatives with the
ADA. “You could tell from
Day 1 when I came to the
school for the kickoff assembly, [the kids] were passionate, and they were really
excited for what they were
going to be doing.”
Likely a major reason for
that excitement is the fact
that they were also raising
money in honor of children
in their own school who are
affected by diabetes. Jared
Kuper, a 13-year-old seventh-grader at NBJH, has
Type 1 diabetes, and was
the individual who first suggested that the ADA be this
year’s charity of choice for
his school.
“I’m a Type 1 diabetic
myself, and I’ve had it for
four years now,” Kuper said.
“Every fundraiser we do
just helps [those of us with
diabetes] a little bit, and it
... warms my heart when I
see so many people helping
out and donating and stuff
like that.”
The fact that his classmates got behind the effort
in such a big way was special to Kuper.
“It just shows me that they
support me and they care,”
he said. “I’ve done things
where I’ve went into the
crowd and said, ‘Raise your
hand if you know someone
with diabetes,’ and basically
everyone raises their hand.
“It’s a disease that affected many people, and it’s just
nice to know that so many
people support it.”
Kuper’s efforts were of
particular interest to Bears
chairman George McCas-
Chicago Bears mascot Staley has fun with NBJH student
Carter Shavitz (left), who was sporting a Green Bay Packers
jersey when the Bears came to visit on Oct. 1. Photos by
Jamie Bradley/22nd Century Media
key, who was joined by
tight end Steve Maneri and
team mascot Staley in congratulating the students.
“One of the biggest reasons we’re here today is
because of Jared Kuper,”
McCaskey said. “He’s an
impressive young man and
has become a real friend of
the Bears, and we’re here
to support him. ... I think
it’s great [what NBJH has
done]. Sometimes kids
don’t get enough credit.
They know what’s going on
in the world, and I think a
program like this is terrific.”
According to Dahlquist,
the amount of energy and
excitement shown by NBJH
tune in
Index
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: The Spartans will travel to Wilmette
to face off with Loyola Academy.
37- Girls swimming
students was unlike anywhere else.
“[NBJH] is very unique,
especially in the sense that
they didn’t do a traditional
[fundraiser],”
Dahlquist
said, alluding to a portion
of the fundraiser where students donated money for
the ability to pie their teachers in the face. “They did
something very special and
something just for them. It
wasn’t your average thing,
and they all really got into it.
“I’ve actually shared
stories of what I’ve seen
them do with other schools
and inspired other schools
to ... really have fun with
the program.”
33- Athlete of the Week
• Glenbrook North at Loyola, Oct. 17, 6 p.m.
Fastbreak is compiled by Assistant Editor Jamie Bradley. Send
any questions or comments to j.bradley@22ndcenturymedia.
com.