On Nov. 26, the students at Fremd High School gave back to their community by hosting their annual blood drive.
Fremd has been partnering with Versiti Blood Centers for over 15 years. What started as a way to get students and staff involved in their local community has now transformed into a bi-annual tradition.
Every winter and spring, Fremd’s student council takes the lead in organizing a blood drive. The blood collected is then sent to nearby hospitals for surgeries, cancer treatments, and emergency procedures.
Math teacher Kenneth Goettsche, one of the club’s two sponsors, led the process by helping behind the scenes. Together, Goettsche and the student council members spread the word by ensuring students see presentations and sign-up lists for the blood drive during their gym periods. Those who do not have a gym period can also see posts on social media platforms, redirecting them to the registration page.
On the day of the blood drive, the student council makes sure enough tables are set up in the South Gym, and the temperature is around 68 degrees.
Goettsche believes that anyone considering donating blood should give it a try.
“We’ve had people come multiple times and have been deferred, but they keep trying because they want to help,” Goettsche said.
To be eligible to donate, students and staff members must meet specific requirements. The minimum age is 17 or 16 with parental consent. Additionally, donors must have normal vital signs, meet particular height and weight requirements, and not have traveled to a country with a high risk of bloodborne diseases in the last three months.
According to Goettsche, the goal is to have about 120 students sign up in case some get deferred. This year, Fremd raised 76 pints of blood—each of which can save three lives.
Goettsche has been organizing blood drives since becoming a head student council representative, but his favorite memory is much more recent. Last year, he and his daughter donated blood together, an experience he considers very memorable.
Donating blood has become an unforgettable memory for other students as well. Senior Derin Ozdemir first donated blood during her junior year. Though she was initially worried about fainting or developing a bruise, she was pleased with the experience and came back to donate a second time this winter.
Ozdemir encourages those considering donating in the future.
“I would say just try it out. I don’t think there’s anything to be scared of,” Ozdemir said.
Junior Lexi Horn also came back to the blood drive for the second time. She first participated in Fremd’s spring blood drive last year and returned to help more people.
Horn thinks that, if able to, every student should take advantage of this rewarding opportunity to give back to their community and save lives.
“The people who run it are very nice, and they take care of you if you have any worries about it. I think any worries that anyone has—if anything hurts or [you get] lightheaded—the people here know what they’re doing and they’ll help you through it, ” Horn said.
