Becton teachers take on physical challenge for charitable events

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Mrs. Gatto and her sister take a photo after finishing the race.

Jared Farhat, Sports Writer

Outside of the Becton classroom, many faculty and staff members donate their time for valuable causes.

This coming May, English Teacher Mrs. Scalera will run the Mudderella for the first time around. The Mudderella is a five to seven mile course, which includes 12 to 15 obstacles. Participants are expected to finish the course, which has been designed to test their all-around fitness.

Mrs. Gatto participated in the event last year. “It was a personal challenge for a good cause,” she said. She attempted and completed the fundraiser along with her family and close friends. The English teacher mentioned that working together is the biggest part of the challenge as fellow participants are there to lend a hand throughout the course as everyone else quickly learns to do the same. In order to be able to participate in the Mudderella, one has to pay 110 dollars where half of the proceeds go directly to Futures Without Violence, an organization that raises money for domestic violence victims. Last year, over 200,000 dollars was raised.

Another event that truly tests one’s physical strength and stamina is the Ironman. History Teacher Mr. Bononno took on the Ironman, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run. He participated in 2009 in Hawaii and then completed the Ironman U.S. Championship in 2012 in New York City. In doing so, Mr. Bononno raised over 700 dollars for athletes with disabilities. Before participating in the 2009 event, the history teacher practiced around 20 hours a week for several weeks.

Another event that a few teachers here at Becton are involved in includes the Polar Bear Plunge. History Teacher Mr. Kuhns along with Special Education Teacher Mr. Maucione participated in this charity where everyone lines up on the beach and runs into the freezing water. Interested people pay 25 dollars to register, and they must raise at least 75 more dollars to take place in the event. All proceeds go to the running of the Special Olympics. This year, Mr. Maucione raised over 1,000 dollars through friends, family, and the Becton staff.

Mr. Kuhns is also involved in an organization called Love, Hope, Strength as well as the Snow Bowl. For Love, Hope, Strength, he sets up outside sporting events and concerts in an attempt to get people to sign up for a bone marrow registry. It is a simple process where only a swab is taken from the inside of one’s mouth and put into a database. The participant is then matched to a bone cancer patient who may be in need of a donation of marrow. Moreover, the Snow Bowl is a football game at MetLife Stadium sponsored by the PBA. He participates yearly and all money raised goes to the Special Olympics.

Last but certainly not least, the famous ALS Ice Bucket Challenge swept across all branches of social media this year and History Teacher Mr. Carr was an active participant. Mr. Carr also annually takes part in the Walk to Defeat ALS in New York. There, he and his son walk along the boardwalk in Long Branch to raise money for Lou Gehrig’s disease. The debate coach has been involved in this event since 2006 and plans to continue with it for years to come. Over his time walking, he has raised an astounding 10,000 dollars.