Today's kids don’t always get shown in the best light, but
here at Topeka Public Schools, we know that our students are every bit as giving and
compassionate as those in the generations that went before them.
Case in point: the students at Landon Middle School have
rallied together in support of a complete stranger- a young child they’ve never
met- who is battling leukemia.
It all started a couple of weeks ago when 8th
grade science teacher Stacy Schreiner wore a bright orange shirt adorned with
the words “Team Blake” to school. The inquiring students wanted to know who
Blake was, and why he had a team. Schreiner told her class
about the little boy, her cousin’s child, who had burned his hands by climbing
over a railing in his home and touching a hot wood-burning stove. When Blake’s
hands failed to heal normally, his doctor ordered tests that determined he was
suffering from acute monoblastic leukemia. The family’s friends and loved ones came together to
offer support, and a family friend who owns T-Shirts Etc., a local screen
printing shop, offered to print shirts with proceeds benefiting the family.
It was one of those t-shirts that sparked the interest of
the Landon Middle School community. Since the students heard about Blake’s
struggle, they have been working together to show support and raise funds to
help the family. Schreiner said kids have been emptying their pockets to
give money, often giving all the change they have-- no small sacrifice for a middle school student. Many of them have purchased
t-shirts, which they now wear on Wednesdays in support of the tiny stranger. Numerous
staff members have also joined Team Blake. “I didn’t ask them for any of it,”
Schreiner said. “They just wanted to help, to try to make things better for
Blake and his family.”
Schreiner, who has worked at Topeka Public Schools since
1993, has been “overwhelmed” by the compassion the students have shown. “I have
been teaching here at Landon for a couple of years after being out of the
classroom for three years (as an instructional coach), and the way these kids
have rallied in support of Blake has reaffirmed that I’m in the right place and
doing the right thing.”
Landon principal David Boggs attributes part of the students’
involvement to the relationship they have with Schreiner. “She’s really built
relationships with them,” he said.
One-year-old Blake is pictured here with his parents, Jaclyn and Chris Cazier.
Landon Middle School students have proven themselves to be concerned
young citizens, eager to help a fellow child who is struggling through a
difficult time. We are so proud of the Landon Lancers for stepping up to make a
difference!
If you would like to send a card or donation to the family, they can be sent to:
Landon Middle School
Attn: Stacy Schreiner
731 SW Fairlawn
Topeka, KS 66606-2336
