Briefly last Friday, the band’s instruments and cheerleaders’ cries fell silent during Ironton High School’s pep rally. The students stood and listened as principal Joe Rowe spoke.

“All of you who donated money at lunch, your spare change and your dollars if you could,” he said, that money is being donated today to the American Cancer Society.”

The $300 donation was made during the pep rally because it’s the Tigers’ last pep rally of the season and October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Three teachers at Ironton are breast cancer survivors. But the main reason is Natalie Wilson.

Wilson is a senior at IHS and a leukemia survivor. Diagnosed in 2011, she is currently receiving chemotherapy treatments.

“All the money is student-raised,” Debbie Dillon, Ironton health academy teacher, said. “There is no teacher money in that donation.”

Wilson and the rest of the student body also found out last Friday that she was named a “Hometown Hero” by WSAZ.

“I nominated her,” Dillon said, “and the juniors’ and seniors’ votes got it for her.”