The Daily Record
Triton’s Hawks For Hope
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Student body supporting students with cancer.
By TYLER DOUGLAS
Of The Record Staff
Triton High School math teacher Kathy Peede saw something rather unique at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill last summer.
While visiting her niece in the cancer ward, she noticed a mobile — constructed of small origami cranes — in her room. Curious, Ms. Peede soon learned the meaning behind the gesture.
As the story goes — in Japan, it is believed if someone makes 1,000 origami cranes their most desired wish will come true.
In 1945, a young girl contracted leukemia from the bombing of Hiroshima and tried to make the required number of cranes, but passed before she could finish. Her classmates made the needed cranes and placed them in her casket to be buried with her.
At the hospital in Chapel Hill, some Japanese women were staying there with their husbands, explained Ms. Peede. “They had nothing to do, so they volunteered to make the cranes. They made mobiles with 10 cranes representing the hope of being healed,” she said.
Her niece’s daughter is a student at Triton and when Ms. Peede spoke with her during the school week, the two decided they would make some cranes of their own — to be sent to cancer patients at Chapel Hill.
The idea quickly spread and, as things were beginning to take shape, Ms. Peede found out there were two freshmen at Triton who were currently fighting their own battles with cancer — Bobby “Trey” Potter and Colby Aponte.
And so, Hawks for Hope was born.
“The title ‘Hawks for Hope’ was chosen so the entire student body and faculty could support these two young men and all others who See Hope, Page 3A Hope
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are fighting cancer now,” said Ms. Peede.
“Many teachers are cancer survivors and many family members of teachers and students alike are fighting this battle. Hawks for Hope represents the idea that we support and care for these individuals,” she said.
Hawks for hope began tirelessly working on folding the small paper cranes.
“My second and third period classes are AP stats students and we learned to make the origami cranes. Teachers could also volunteer to have their classes participate in making the cranes to send to the cancer center,” said Ms. Peede. “My students went to 22 different teachers’ classrooms during each block of the day. Over 1,000 students participated in making the cranes.”
The goal was to make 1,000 cranes to donate to the hospital — just like the story — but the passionate group ending up making 3,300 cranes. They were delivered to Chapel Hill earlier this month.
“The hospital has just formed a new partnership with another high school in Orange County that will be stringing our cranes (to make the mobiles),” said Ms. Peede.
Due to the Triton’s contribution, 330 patients in the children’s cancer center will receive crane mobiles.
As for Trey and Colby, the group decided to do something special for them, too.
Hawks for Hope asked students to wear lime green shirts — the color for lymphoma support for Colby — and toboggans — Trey wears a toboggan to school everyday due to losing his hair to chemo. May 18 was subsequently declared “Hawks for Hope Day” at Triton to honor the two students and more than 400 individuals showed up that day sporting lime green apparel and toboggans.
“Everyone worked hard and showed so much support for Hawks for Hope. (Triton Principal) Chip Mangum jumped right on board and did everything he could to make it a magical day,” said Ms. Peede.
“I would like to see this become a community project. Everyone blessed with good health can show support for those that are not.”
Hawks for Hope, a cancer support group comprised of Triton High School students, encouraged classmates to wear lime green shirts, the color for lymphoma support, and toboggans earlier this month in support of two freshmen — Bobby ‘Trey’ Potter and Colby Aponte — currently battling cancer. In the photo, more than 400 students participated, snapping a photo in the gym with Trey, left, and Colby, right.
