Backpack on.
Tickets in hand.
Waiting for the bell to ring, students creep out the classroom doors, so they’ll be the first in line for Cane’s, pizza, smoothies, or the Two Liter Toss.
It’s KO Carnival – a much anticipated day with food, games and performances during extended lunches and shortened classes. But the day was created to do more than bring fun to Oak students.
Carnival proceeds actually raise money for a charity through ticket sales for the clubs-led booths.
Referred to as the IB Carnival charity in the Spring, this year’s charity to benefit from the activity is Breakthrough T1D. This nonprofit organization is devoted to making life with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) easier and finding a cure for T1D. The charity idea was submitted by IB senior Johnnie Bryan-de la Garza.
“My mother has type 2 diabetes, and was diagnosed last year” Bryan-de la Garza said. “I also had a friend who graduated who is type 1. Having a friend with T1D taught me a lot about the issue, so I thought it would be cool if we did something to help.”
According to Breakthrough T1D’s website, about 1.6 million Americans are living with T1D which is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks insulin producing cells. Breakthrough T1D is working to find a cure that would restore the body’s ability to produce insulin. Until a cure is found, they are finding ways to improve the lives of those living with T1D.
“I think that [T1D] is a good cause to support because I think that a lot of the time, in this day in age, it goes unnoticed,” senior Jayden Teichman said.
In order for the money from carnival to be donated, IB seniors research different charities to send in for approval by KOHS principal Thomas Hensley and KISD district officials.
“I’m really excited that my charity got picked,” Bryan-de la Garza said. “We[IB seniors] were told to research a charity for an issue we care about. I looked for a nearby charity for a health organization and sent in Breakthrough T1D.”
On the day of the carnival, Student Council sold 25,000 tickets at $1 each. It is estimated that after refunding clubs for their booth materials, $10,000-15,000 will be donated to Breakthrough T1D later this year.
“I really like selling tickets all day,” junior student council member Lydia Alldredge said. “It’s fun to see everyone come through and donate. We handle so much money and its impact is so significant.”
