On Saturday, January 27, the Kohn family announced the passing of their beloved seven-year old son, Will Kohn, on his Team Will Facebook page. Read the recent article, written by Gretchen Strobbe, to find out about Will’s journey throughout the past 7 years. From birth, Will had to be strong with the circumstances of his condition, but never let it be an excuse.

Spartan Assembly would like to honor Will with a Hat Day on Wednesday, January 31. Spartans are welcomed and encouraged to wear hats to school this Wednesday for $5 as a fundraiser for the Kohn family and the Lymphoma Cancer Research Foundation. The Lymphoma Cancer Research Foundation is a non-profit organization devoted to funding lymphoma research. Their goal is to provide patients and healthcare professionals with up-to-date knowledge about this cancer type as well as early detection and treatment methods. In addition to this hat day, teachers may wear hats and jeans to school for $8, and all money can be turned into first period, or first class teachers.

Ruth Davidson, junior class representative for Spartan Assembly, is one of the coordinators of the event and an advocate for cancer awareness. “I wanted to have the event to show support for the Kohn family as fellow Spartans,” Davidson says. “Cancer affects so many families in the community and I want to make people aware of the impact it has.”

Spartan Assembly is partnering with 50+ other Iowa High Schools to participate in the Iowa Association of Student Council’s State Project this year in efforts to raise awareness and donate to cancer foundations and research. They would like to use this opportunity to raise awareness about life-threatening illnesses that impact families, like the Kohn family, around the world.