The school-hosted Relay for Life event was a resounding success, bringing together students and staff with the common cause of ending cancer. The event raised over $48,000 for the American Cancer Society, and demonstrated the impact of our student body’s enthusiasm in a year filled with accomplishment for our school.

We’ve always had an involved, passionate group of students, but it’s easier to see than ever when looking at how our students handled the event. Nationally, it’s uncommon for students to start, manage and plan a Relay for Life event for their own school. The Relay for Life committee, made up of 33 students and five adults, ran the event almost entirely on its own, and worked on every aspect of the planning and logistics of the event from start to finish.

The incredible involvement of our student body isn’t limited to just those who planned the event, though, with 45 teams and an estimated 1,000 people attending the event. After such a large turnout, it’s clear that our students genuinely care not only about the cause they’re raising money for, but also the school as a whole.

This widespread enthusiasm represents something bigger happening at our school: We are gradually moving into a new time of pride and involvement. This event proves that our students are willing to look beyond themselves and work toward more important causes.

The Relay for Life event is just one of many examples that show our school is on the rise. It came in a year when we won two athletic state championships, and we saw more spirit and energy in our school than ever before. During this year alone, the students have continuously showed their support for the school, from the student section at state football to sold out nights for the musical. This was the year our students founded a new club sponsoring the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and ending up being incredibly successful with Wish Week and winter homecoming. This was the year the school found itself rated as the best public high school in the state of Kansas by StartClass.

All of this success was especially noteworthy among the members of the senior class, who made monumental contributions to the school as a whole over the past four years. The Relay for Life event was spearheaded by seniors Megan Feuerborn and Isabel Crain, while senior Logan Koch played quarterback and point guard on two state-winning teams and our own senior Justin Curto was named Kansas Student Journalist of the Year. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The school has reaped the rewards of this success, and the recognition Mill Valley is now receiving serves as a gratifying legacy to leave behind.

The event’s success proves an age-old lesson to be true: Working hard, supporting others and having enthusiasm pays off. It’s obvious that our students — and our seniors in particular — have taken this to heart, and set an example for the underclassmen.

This year has been an amazing start of something new. An overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment currently characterizes our school’s atmosphere. However, we need to keep it up and sustain that energy for the next several years. There’s only one thing left to do: Get to work, Mill Valley.