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Duncan Middle School raises $10,000 toward Cancer Center

After the tragic loss of their school librarian to cancer, the Duncan Middle School students and faculty wanted to do something special in her honor.

Merry Stone, DMS Eighth Grade English Teacher, said the students’ first goal was $5,000, but DMS principal Mike Toone gave the students a little incentive.

Toone made a deal: if they raised $10,000, he would shave his head in front of the school. “He wasn’t worried about it,” Stone said, “He really didn’t think that it would happen!” Toone’s shiny head proved the middle school students stepped up to the challenge.

Toone named the week of donation “One Wild Week”. The school had daily pep assemblies that were one-dollar to attend. Each day had a theme: "Are You Smarter than a Middle Schooler" (Teachers vs Students Quiz Bowl), “DMS Idol” (Karaoke competition), "Fear Factor" (gross food eating contest between grades), "Gotcha" (basketball competition) and "Field Day" (various games outside). The students also sold t-shirts, had a Mr. Desirable Contest where students picked the most desirable boy from each grade, and held a school dance a the end of the week.

“It was a fun week, but the students saw that it was about something bigger than themselves,” Stone said.

So, in memory of librarian Carla Le Barre, the Duncan Middle School Student Council presented Scott Street, president and CEO of Duncan Regional Hospital, with a check for $10,000. The money will be donated to the Taylor LeNorman/McCasland Cancer Center. The Cancer Centers of Southwest Oklahoma are a joint venture between Duncan Regional Hospital, Comanche Memorial Hospital of Lawton, and Jackson County Memorial Hospital of Altus. Located at the southwest corner of the Duncan Regional Hospital campus, the projected opening for the Cancer Center is this Summer.

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