The hallways were a sea of purple on November 21 in a schoolwide effort to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer. Students and faculty alike wore all different shades and hues of purple. Purple symbolizes the fight against pancreatic cancer, and students wore this color in support of Special Education teacher Mr. Steve Pierzchalski who has been fighting pancreatic cancer since September 2013.

Senior Taylor Wooten was among those who sported purple for “P Day”.

“I love the fact that our school can come together to support something so important. You can tell how much Mr. P is appreciated here and how much we miss him,” said Wooten.

Students and faculty were also asked to donate pocket change to Mr. P’s family to help pay for medical expenses. People were given the option to donate as a class or just as an individual. “Ms. Duncan would pass around this envelope during every class period and so many people gave money. It was a really great and touching thing to see,” said senior Jessica Ruszkiewicz.

Banners were also made and hung throughout the school to spread word of P Day, as well as a special video made by Production Manager, Emma Beck. “The video was a really important project for me, I wanted it to be perfect and I wanted to show how strong Mr. P has been through all of this,” said Beck. The video entailed heartfelt messages from Pierzchalski’s fellow teachers and students wishing him strength and happy holidays.

Pierzchalski has been a member of the North Harford faculty for a number of years. He was always deeply involved within the school, as he was a Varsity Wrestling coach for four seasons. In his younger years, he competed as a wrestler and earned championships at various levels. Pierzchalski began working for HCPS in 1998; he came to North Harford in 2002 and taught until his retirement this year. During his fight with cancer, he has fought through numerous rounds of chemo, radiation, and Whipple surgery.

At the beginning of the school year, Pierzschalski returned to North Harford. He was sporadically present for a few weeks, only to contract an invasion and have his liver shut down. He has been fighting in the hospital ever since.
An estimated $3,000 was raised for Pierzschalski’s family, and more money continues to be donated as the holidays approach. In an email to the staff, Mrs. Mary Pierzschalski said, “Last Friday was a most amazing day for Steve at NHHS. I can’t believe the planning and hard work that was put into this event, not only by the planners, but by the entire school. The outpouring of love, compassion and generosity was beyond anything imaginable.”