Students at NKHS took an hour out of their day to save three lives, one drop of blood at a time.  NK held their annual fall blood drive on Friday November 20.  This year’s blood drive was a success; 128 people turned up to donate, and 110 were successfully able to give blood. Some students were deferred because of minor medical reasons and afternoon sports that prevented from being able to donate.  NK could have potentially saved 330 lives through the donations that day.

Each student who participated in the blood drive gave a pure blood donation that would be divided into three parts, all used for different reasons.  The blood is divided into red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. The students helped contribute to the high demand of blood in the United States, and every two seconds someone needs blood for a blood transfusion and more than 41,000 blood donations are needed among the United States every day.

Heather Robenhymer, a Rhode Island Blood Committee representative has been working to inform students of the need for blood, and works alongside the student ambassadors who help organize the blood drives that NK hosts every year.

Students in NK are becoming more involved in the blood donating process.  The student ambassadors program with the blood drive has grown to 19 active students, who are involved in the blood donating process.  Although the student ambassadors do not have any specific jobs to do on the day of the blood drive, they are responsible for raising awareness and encouraging people to donate.

Junior student ambassador Sara Anoushian got involved through the Leadership Academy. “Ms. Maguire asked us if we would be interested in joining, and myself and a bunch of other girls were all excited to be apart of the group,” Anoushian said. “As members of the blood club, our jobs include developing new ways to promote the upcoming blood drives, decorating and putting up advertisements around the school, dressing as the blood drop, and helping out at the table in the cafeteria during sign-ups.”

These ambassadors are being acknowledged for their efforts.  Five blood club members were randomly selected to attend the Rhode Island Blood Center Banquet, accompanied by Mrs. Robenhymer and Mrs. Sweet. They were awarded the Outstanding Performance by a Blood Drive Committee award, and the trophy is currently on display in Sweet’s office.  “NKHS is the first high school in the state to have a Student Ambassador Program,” Sweet said.  “We are a model for other schools.”

Students are leaving their mark on many people who owe their lives to donors from NK.