MIDDLETOWN, Del. – The school buses are running, kids have their book bags strapped on, high school marching bands are marching in parades, the autumn leaves have already begun to fall, the evenings are cooler and darker, and students and teachers are already rolling up their sleeves to donate blood.
Yes, the fall semester marked the much-anticipated return of high school blood drives, with stops at Seaford High School on September 11 and Appoquinimink High School on September 20. High school and college blood drives account for 25 percent of collections for Blood Bank of Delmarva during the school year, a critical part of operations.
Seaford High School, in the Seaford School District, officially kicked off the 2024-2025 high school blood drive season with a bang on September 11! BBD collected 23 units of blood, including 11 first-time donors.
Special thanks to the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (Junior ROTC) for coordinating the blood drives.
Appoquinimink High School, in the Appoquinimink School District, followed up with 40 appointments booked and 38 units of whole blood. A majority of the first dozen donors were either first-timers or donating for just the second time in their young lives, including Madeline Paragon, junior, 16; Yasmine Wright, junior, 16; Kevin Maloney, junior, 16; Baden Dor, senior, 17; Abi Falcon, senior, 17 and Lorelei Alexander, senior, 16 (soon to be 17).
“I wanted to do a good deed,” Madeline said.
After donating, Lorelei joined her peers from the National Honor Society to work the second shift in the café, where they gave out refreshments and kept an eye on donors. With her were fellow Appoquinimink High School NHS members Ella Schlee, senior, 17; Emerson Brooks, 17, senior; Ayla McCathern, senior, 18; Alex Epperly, senior, 17; Madison Robino, senior, 17 and Deena Ndifor, senior, 17.
To start the blood drive, Victoria Parrish and Cyraa Khan, both seniors, 17, staffed the café during the first, lighter shift.
Appo senior Collin Creveling, 17, was another first-time donor.
“All of my family donates, so I wanted to sign up,” Collin said.
Maria Sorbo, senior, 18, donated for the second time, and Supervisor, Collections Jackie Rivera performed her phlebotomy. The first time Maria donated last year, the tech had difficulty finding a vein.
“This time was a lot better,” Maria said. “It was definitely great knowing I saved lives. I wanted to try again, because last time I only donated half a bag. I got a full one this time.”
