Crowds of students and staff adorned in pink lined the sidewalks on the chilly Monday morning of October 5 to show their support for Sharon Holliday, a beloved Family and Consumer Sciences teacher here at LNE.
She not only taught us how to prepare a chicken, but also how to be better people with her kind words and abundant encouragement. As she drove by with her family, waving at students and teachers alike, they waved back with signs and posters. Some were in tears. Perhaps this situation hit too close to home. Help was offered by counselors to students who needed to vent and release their grief.
After struggling with breast cancer last year, and always remaining strong and cheerful, Holliday was on the mend. However, now the cancer is back with a vengeance. Learning she will soon lose her eyesight, she made the tough decision to pause her teaching. After 22 years of teaching that will be a difficult task to accomplish. After all, being a teacher, you instinctively continue being a teacher in other ways and sharing your wisdom with others.
One of Holliday’s close work friends and FCS teacher at LNE, Kristin Skorupa has known her for 7 years. She recently shared her feelings about Holliday and what she’s going through. She said about her, “Mrs. Holliday is a generous soul, who fills your heart with joy. She is one of the most positive people that I know. She always puts other people before herself. She is a gracious, classy lady!”
Ribbons in general have always been a symbol of courage. The infamous pink ribbon was first inspired by Susan. G. Komen of the Susan K Foundation for Breast Cancer when she handed out pink visors to cancer survivors during the Race For The Cure in 1990. Soon after in 1992, Alexandra Penney, editor in chief of Self magazine, designed the magazine’s second annual issue for Breast Cancer Awareness. The previous year was inspired by Estee Lauder, a breast cancer survivor herself. Penney decided to create a pink ribbon and enlist the major cosmetics to distribute the ribbons in all of their New York City stores. Since then pink ribbons have been a universal symbol for breast cancer because of the significance of ribbons in general and of femininity behind the color pink.
Pink and pink ribbons continue inspiring and spreading a message throughout our school as well. They give people the hope that Mrs. Holliday and anyone else suffering from breast cancer or cancer in general will recuperate and come out of the experience a stronger and more hopeful person. In Skorupa’s personal message to Holliday, she said, “Mrs. Holliday, thank you for 7 years ago asking me to be a part of this department. I have truly enjoyed working with you and have embraced your positive soul. Filling your shoes as Dept. Chair will be tough, but I know you taught me well! Love ya, Kristin.”