From their shirts to their shorts to their shoelaces, students at Wantagh Middle School found many ways to incorporate yellow and gold into their wardrobes on Sept. 24. The school participated in the Go Gold initiative for Childhood Cancer Awareness Day. 

The purpose of the gold attire was to raise awareness about an illness that affects more than 10,000 children a year under age 15. It has even hit close to home. At 7 years old, James Lodato lost his battle with cancer in 2018 and would have entered sixth grade at Wantagh Middle School this year. A new baseball field, the James Lodato Field of Dreams, was dedicated earlier this year at Forest Lake Elementary School.

“This is a cause near and dear to our hearts,” said middle school Principal Anthony Ciuffo, who donned a black shirt with the initials JL inside a graphic of a baseball with gold wings and a halo. “It is touching that so many of our students wore gold to show their support for James and all those in the battle.”

Many students swapped out their shoelaces with the gold ones provided by the school, with others using them to make necklaces and headbands to add an extra splash of gold to their outfits to support the cause.