To kick off National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Academy/Jesuit swimming team and the AHN volleyball teams joined together to host the annual Spike and Splash event on Wednesday night, October 5.   Final total from t-shirt sales, bake sales, box office receipts, raffles, tag days, and outright donations came to an impressive $7,810.10—all of which will be donated to the Moffitt Cancer Center in honor of Mrs. Mara Schultz and other members of the AHN and Jesuit communities who have been affected by cancer.

In his press release late Wednesday, October 12, Mr. Jack Mullarkey, Assistant Principal,  commended  the time, effort and generosity of the Academy community.  “This amount is nearly double the amount that was collected at last year’s Spike and Splash. It is an accomplishment that would not have been possible without all of support from  the AHN volleyball team, the AHN swim team, the Jesuit swim team, the Golden Girls Spirit Club, all of their parents, the elementary school, and the AHN community at large who participated in the various activities. A big Academy thank you to all involved!”

As part of the fundraising effort during the week  of October 3, the swimming and volleyball teams organized bake sales and raffle ticket sales for an enormous gift basket.  Academy mothers were on hand during break to manage these sales. Students were given the opportunity to buy event t-shirts to wear during school on Wednesday. P

As part of the event, the swim team took on local rival Plant High School in an intense, exciting match. Emily Pollock, an AHN junior on the swim team, said, “The match was fun and exciting to watch, especially since a lot of family and friends were there. Plus, it was supporting a good cause by raising money for breast cancer awareness.”

Only a few feet away, JV and Varsity volleyball teams  battled Berkeley Prep in highly competitive matches. Erin Przedpelski, a member of the Varsity team, said there was “spirit, encouragement from the crowd. ”  The event featured the Jaguarettes, Academy’s dance team. Sophomore Theresa Lopez said their performance at halftime “lifted everyone’s spirits .”

This year’s event was geared toward matching or exceeding last year’s revenues of over $4,000.