Whitman raised the second-highest amount of money in the nation for this year’s Leukemia and Lymphoma Society high school challenge, as announced during a celebration in the courtyard during sixth period April 19.

The school raised $51,050 for the organization, far exceeding its initial goal of $30,000. Student body president Ari Kapner said he was thrilled with the competition’s results.

“We were astounded when we heard we got second in the nation,” he said. “This year was more of a community effort. Everyone was at all the events, and that’s really what made it special.”

LLS school and youth campaign manager Leah Cutler thanked the SGA for its efforts and presented an award to recognize the school’s outstanding fundraising from the LLS National Board of Directors.

“The dedication of this leadership class to think of ways to elevate this program to the next level was really important,” Cutler said. “They really engaged the school and surrounding community to get involved.”

The Stone and Holt Weeks Foundation awarded Whitman with the Holt Weeks Trailblazers Cup and an additional donation of $1,000 for bRAVE, which was recognized as the most creative fundraiser in the country. Whitman was also honored with a grant in its name to be given to a LLS researcher.

Local Hot 99.5 radio host Rob Kruz also attended the awards ceremony to congratulate the school.

“When something comes up like this, we want to be a part of it and show our support,” he said. “So often, we get bogged down with playing music all day, but when we heard that Walt Whitman raised an incredible amount of money, we wanted to make sure we could say thank you—thank you for giving back to the community.”