Making a splash

TERANG College staff braved sub-zero temperatures to raise funds for a worthy cause last week.

By wd-news

For a good cause: Terang College VCE VM students brought the term to a sub-zero conclusion last week, hosting a Blizzard Bash event to raise funds for FightMND.

The school hosted a ‘Blizzard Bash’ event to raise funds for FightMND last Thursday as part of a fundraising initiative led by VCE VM students.

The day included a dress-up with gold coin donations, the sale of blue heaven milkshakes and a sausage sizzle to raise funds for the cause before students had the opportunity to pour a bucket of ice water over their teachers.

Terang College VCE VM teacher Matthew Murray said students had led the fundraiser, which had also tied in with their studies.

“The students came up with a topic they would like to do for their unit, which was looking at building connection and community,” he said.

“We looked at an event being held around here which was the annual FightMND fundraiser, which we looked at in conjunction with a visit during the Blizzard Bash from Hampden P-12 students to build on our connections.

“Students thoroughly researched motor neurone disease – what it does to the body and the impact it has on a person’s longevity.

“They also studied Neale Daniher AO (one of FightMND’s founders) through literacy, and tied in other aspects of curriculum by effectively building the event from scratch and promoting the sales of milkshakes.”

Mr Murray said the opportunity to combine learning and fun was always a highlight for students and staff alike.

“The tie-off is the teachers getting dunked in the ice water, which is obviously a fun thing for the students,” he said.

“We wanted to make sure everyone was involved, so we had teachers from across the primary and secondary sector in addition to Hampden P-12 principal Kylie Carter all getting dunked.

“It’s a positive end to the term, bringing connections for the students while also letting them have some fun.

“It helps when you have supportive staff who are willing to jump on board, and you have a lot of students who are willing to invest their time into learning about the cause.”

FightMND was established in 2014 to raise funds for motor neurone disease, and has since gone on to invest more than $115 million in research and care projects.

To learn more about the cause, visit fightmnd.org.au.