Pie in the eye celebrates fundraising effort at Palatine High

The Palatine High School community mourned this year when leukemia killed one of its students - freshman Leticia Perez.

Since then the school's students and faculty have pulled together to raise more than $1,200 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, said Palatine teacher Kathleen Carroll, who works with the school's service club.

Palatine parent Michael Malone helped lead the charge. Leukemia claimed his uncle's life 13 years ago. While Malone has raised money in past years, when his daughter, Palatine senior Callie Malone, told him about Perez, he doubled his efforts.

"I contacted the school to see if we could do something in support of that girl, to make it mean something to the kids," Malone said.

During a Friday pep assembly, teachers announced students had raised another $740. Then a lucky Palatine teacher and student received pies to their faces.

What do pies have to do with fundraising?

Malone and others brainstormed on how to motivate students. They asked teachers and students alike if they'd consent to a bit of humiliation. They came up with a raffle in which students could chose a teacher to get the pie during a school assembly.

"We put the word out throughout the school to see what teachers students would like to see nominated," Palatine teacher James Nowak said.

The school came up with a list of five and in the end, social studies teacher Leslie Schock got the most votes. The teacher receiving the second-most votes, math instructor Mark Hajik, had the honor of throwing the pie in Schock's face. Palatine senior Lauren Nielsen was the student who raised the most money. Her prize was to throw a pie in the face of student council President Brian Colby.

"We talked about this on how to make it the most fun," Malone said. "Not to make light or be silly about anything, but to give more awareness of what we are doing."

Malone has been nominated for the society's Man and Woman of the Year award, which recognizes those who've raised awareness about the disease.

A Tribune Co. account executive, he's working his network of friends and family for a three-week fundraising campaign to raise more than $400,000 in support of his nomination. As of last week, he was at more than $200,000, he said. The money raised by Palatine students will go toward that amount.

More about Malone's quest is at il.mwoy.llsevent.org/mmalone.