Breast cancer is a disease that has directly affected countless people, and raising
awareness holds great importance in the Port Washington community. On Friday, Nov. 8, the
girls’ varsity championship tennis team hosted a fundraiser at the Schreiber tennis courts in
order to raise support, awareness, and donations toward the Breast Cancer Research
Foundation.
This fundraiser entailed a teacher tennis tournament where each member of the team
paired up with a teacher or administrator of their choice to compete in friendly doubles matches
against other student-teacher partnerships. The teams were assembled in a bracket, and each
match was played out in a 10 point tie-breaker. Slowly but surely, the bracket narrowed down to
the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final matches to determine the first, second, third, and fourth
place winners. However, regardless of their rankings, the participants thoroughly enjoyed
themselves and were able to enter tickets into the raffle draw to try to win customized raffles
from stores all over town.
“We raised a total of $473 which will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research
Foundation. It was a great way to bring the community, school, and tennis program together for
such a worthy cause and try to make a difference in the community. This is what makes our
program stand out as true winners by doing events like this one. It was a truly special year for
Port Washington,” said Coach Shane Helfner.
All those who came out to play dressed in pink to get into the spirit of the event; certain
students and faculty even chose to coordinate their outfits. Some of the Schreiber teachers who
played with the students included Ms. Cotter from the social studies department, Ms. Tecusan
from the math department, Ms. Jozefowski from the physical education department, and Mr.
Lorge from the guidance department. Weber teachers Ms. Silverman, Ms. Novinski, Mr. Holzer,
and Mr. Barbara also attended. On top of all the teachers, Superintendent Dr. Hynes and
Principal Dr. Pernick played in the tournament as well.
“The tournament was a great way to raise awareness for breast cancer, and so much fun
at the same time. It really shows how you can give back to the community and have fun with
your teachers at the same time. While it was amusing watching the teachers try to go for tough
shots, I give them a lot of credit for coming out to play, especially in the freezing cold,” said
freshman and second doubles player, Katie Kors.
The first place winners of the tournament were second singles player Andrea Martinez
and Ms. Novinski. Following in second place was fourth doubles player Kayla Hill and Mr.
Lorge. Finishing in third place was first doubles player Charlotte Forman and Dr. Hynes, and
lastly, second doubles player Phoebe Levitsky and Mr. Barbara stole the fourth place title. At
the conclusion of the event, each participant was handed a medal, and rewarded with the
satisfaction of giving back to the community while also having fun playing tennis.