You may notice that every Tuesday around the school people are wearing teal tie-dye T-shirts. They do this in support of a fellow student, Samantha Yantz, who has stage 4 ovarian cancer.

“We are now going to have a Facebook Jerd site,” broadcast director Sherri Sneed said. “We are going to leave it open to anyone to send her encouraging messages.”

People not only support Sam but also the cause in general, and many of them know how important it is for us to understand the cause.

“Not a lot of people know about this specific type of cancer and the colors to support it,” freshman Yalitza Velasquez said. “Our support will hopefully make them more aware of it.”

Like the color pink is associated with breast cancer, teal represents ovarian cancer. More than 60 students and faculty have been wearing tie-dye shirts on Tuesdays.

“Everyone needs support,” sophomore Brooke Hull said. “They need people other than family.”

Students also see the importance of support her as an individual.

“She’s really having a hard time,” Sneed said. “She’s such a people person and it’s really hard for her to not be here.”

All of the school is welcome to pull together and wear teal on Tuesdays and support Sam in any way possible.

“She’s one of y’all and she’s young,” Sneed said. “She has a lot going on with her and I would hope if something like this ever happened to another student we would react the same way, to pull together as one big family.”

Messages can be sent to Sam via the Rouse Jerds Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002068406426