9th Grade Academy students raise money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

The 9th Grade Academy students and teachers are pictured here along with Josh Vainosky's family after participating in the Walk-a-Thon for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Students in Amsterdam High School’s 9th Grade Academy raised more than $2,500 during their walk-a-Thon for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in May.

The students enjoyed 70 degree weather, sunny blue skies during the event, which took place at the high school on Friday, May 15.

The students and teachers of the 9th Grade Academy chose to raise money to support research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy because one of their classmates, Josh Vainosky, lives with the illness. The money raised during the walk-a-thon will be donated to The Parent Project, which funds Duchenne research.

Josh said he was touched by his classmates’ support.

“I am very happy that all the students wanted to walk on behalf of DMD and that everyone now knows that the disease is about my muscles and not my mind,” he said.

Students began the morning by watching “Darius Goes West,” a video documentary about a 15 year old boy who has Duchenne. Darius used the documentary as a platform to tell people about Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and how people who are affected by this disease can still live active lives. Darius had the uncanny ability in the video to pull all of the viewers in with him as he travelled across the United States with 11 friends in an RV with the hopes of getting his wheelchair “pimped” on MTV’s hit show “Pimp My Ride.” Along the way, the students laughed and cried with Darius as the realities of his life were revealed.

Amsterdam freshman Kaitlyn Walrath said the documentary was both compelling and sad.

“It touched me dramatically because when you see people with a disorder that can’t be fixed yet, your heart drops with sadness,” she said.

Despite his limitations, Darius proved that he can still accomplish things that some people will never achieve in their lifetime, including visiting the Grand Canyon and swimming in the Pacific Ocean. Darius urged the students at the end of the video to take action for those who are affected by Duchenne, and the 9th Grade Academy students did just that.

For two weeks prior to this seminar, the students collected donations with the goal of raising at least $1,000.00 to donate to The Parent Project. After viewing Darius Goes West, their teachers came together to announce the total amount raised. The students more than doubled their goal, raising $2,656.00! This was an exciting accomplishment for everyone, and student John Toper seemed to sum up the feelings of the class.

“I am happy we met our goal, and even doubled it, for a good cause,” he said. “It felt good doing something nice and raising money for such a worthy cause.”

After hearing the great news, the students, teachers, administrators and Josh’s family members spent the rest of the morning walking the track at AHS. Student Sara Bieniek described the event as both a rewarding and memorable experience.

“I felt really happy and important that I could be a part of something that could change this disease,” she said.

The students had the opportunity to reflect on their experience through reflective journal writings in class. They also created a histogram in math class based on the donations that were collected.

Lisa Vainosky, Josh’s mother, said she was moved by the day’s events.

“As a parent and employee of the school district, I could not be more proud of these kids and how they really stepped up to the plate and raised money for PPMD,” she said. “I think for the first time, the students have an idea of what my son lives with everyday. This truly showed through their fundraising efforts. The outpouring of emotion from all involve

d that day was overwhelming for me and my family. It was a great day for all, and one I will not soon forget.”

Principal David Ziskin described the seminar as “a powerful experience for our students and their adult mentors. The day was a win for AHS, and we hope it plays a small part in the battle against Duchenne.”