Marblehead students continue to raise money for principal

MARBLEHEAD – “Team Z Marblehead” is bringing Marblehead High together to walk in the North Shore Cancer Walk on Sunday, June 21 in honor of Marblehead High Principal John Ziergiebel, who is battling cancer and retiring at the end of the school year.Sponsored by Marblehead High student government, the team will include students, parents and teachers and already numbers in excess of 200 walkers.Anyone in Marblehead wishing to sign up to walk or make a donation of any size may log onto the team’s Web page, created by student government president Josh Chmara, at www.firstgiving.com/teamzmarblehead.”We’ve signed up at least 200,” Chmara said Tuesday afternoon. “We have 100 signed up at the (Marblehead Veterans) Middle School and at least 100 at the high school. We sold 100 t-shirts today.”Perhaps aided by the presence of North Shore Medical Center personnel who were registering walkers, the t-shirt sales were so strong that only Size Large shirts were left and the students ordered 75 more in Small and Medium.Donations are also up from the $1,500 Team Z had accumulated a week ago.”We’ve raised $2,400 on the Web site and today in an hour and a half we raised over $1,000 on the t-shirts,” Chmara said. “We’re close to $3,500.”In fact, as a surprise for Ziergeibel, this morning students were planning to wear the Team Z t-shirts to school. Ziergiebel is planning to attend the event. He walks regularly for exercise now and may walk part of the six-mile course.”Mr. Z (Ziergeibel) was so happy when he saw the registration booth at lunch today,” Chmara said. “The whole school came together in one big cause. It’s really nice.”Walk Registration begins at Salem Willows Park, Salem at 7:30 a.m. Sunday. There is a rolling start at 8 a.m. and the course closes at 11:30 a.m.