Along with the annual Day of Service events that took place on Monday, Mercer Island High School students continued their spring push for public service. The day of service that saw events ranging from cleaning up parks to making special occasion cards for soldiers to send home to families.

The Relay for Life event held May 13-14 was the culmination of months of planning and fundraising by the students themselves. However, in typical Northwest fashion, the event experienced its second consecutive rainout. However, also in typical Islander fashion, the event and its nearly 500 participants charged ahead with a carefree mantra: “When life gives you lemons, throw ’em in with the Wired Energy Drinks.”

The event began on a deceptively gorgeous afternoon. After opening speeches by the event chairs Vanessa Gaffney and Robbie Frankel, and guest survivor speaker, Andrew Schorr, students, staff and members of the community lined the track to cheer on survivors and caregivers as they kicked off the Relay with a lap of honor. Teams quickly joined in to make their first of countless rounds about the track. The Relay for Life committee kept one eye on the weather report, as they urged participants to take advantage of the sun by conducting field games and scavenger hunts. However, quite inescapably, the rain came.

The rain pelted down, refusing to let up until late Sunday, well past the conclusion of the event. Drenched but absolutely blissful, over 100 students embraced the rain to participate in a dance fest likened to Woodstock. Fueled by the hot chili donated by gold sponsor Fast Rabbits Catering, participants danced, moshed and rallied well into the night, stopped only by the 10 p.m. mark of the Luminaria ceremony.

The 600 paper bags filled with sand and candles, decorated to honor all those affected by or lost to cancer, were too soggy to light. However, Gemma Balinbin’s flawless rendition of “Not Alone” set the perfect tone for the lap of silence. Despite its unconventional execution, many were in agreement that the ceremony did precisely what it was supposed to do: honor and remember.

As the night wore on, temperatures dropped and the rain persisted, prompting many to hole up in their respective tents or, regretfully, leave for home. A handful braved the elements and remained on the track. Come morning, a tired and shivering mass huddled together on the field for the closing ceremony. The committee recognized top fundraisers and teams, but mainly commended the entire community as the event pushed $90,000 in total donations this year. The event’s other sponsors included Wells Fargo, Lisi Wolf Photography, Wealthlink, Patient Power, Mercer Island Dermatology, Tony Maroni’s Pizza, Albertsons and the Mercer Island Beach Club.

Alyson Abe is a senior at Mercer Island High School.