The community came together for the first time since before COVID-19 to create a human breast cancer ribbon to raise awareness for breast cancer. The pink ribbon is an emblem of fighting breast cancer. Former Health Teacher and Dean Patti Tycenski, who passed away in late September, was an avid supporter of raising awareness and money for breast cancer. Reinstating the tradition has been pushed by many students and faculty since its last appearance in 2019, and especially this year to honor Tycenski’s legacy and commitment to spreading breast cancer awareness.
Director of Student Life Jared Winston helped coordinate the logistics of this year’s ribbon ceremony. “On the one hand, it’s been a conversation since 2021 to do the photo. In 2023, the Think Pink committee was formed to make sure that breast cancer awareness was a priority here at Poly,” said Winston. In 2024, it’s kind of the culmination of a response to a tragic loss in our community as well as a student-driven initiative to raise awareness for breast cancer.”
During clubs block on Wednesday, October 23, students were told to gather in the oval instead of attending their afternoon clubs for the ribbon formation. Students wore pink and held pink pieces of paper as they stood in marked places that outlined a ribbon. The fifth-grade class that had Tyscenski as an advisor were positioned to spell out T-Y at the bottom of the ribbon.
Head of Upper School Sarah Bates highlights the impacts COVID-19 had on traditions at Poly, such as creating the ribbon.“Covid definitely sort of shifted a ton of our programming and got rid of some of it,” said Bates. She names COVID as the main reason Poly stopped creating the ribbon, emphasizing the “structural changes” and how “We went from two assemblies a week down to one every seven days… the health course offerings for middle school were shifted and reduced.”
According to an article in the Polygon published on October 18, 2017, every October, the Health Interns, a group of seniors whose job was to inform the Poly community on health-related issues, would lead informative assemblies for the Middle and Upper school about Breast Cancer. According to the article, as a part of the annual tradition, everyone ventured outside to form the pink human ribbon. The Think Pink committee is a new take on the Health Interns program that Tycenski ran from 1997 until its end in 2022. According to another article in the Polygon published on May 22, 2022, “The health intern program for Poly seniors ran for 34 years at Poly Prep before it ended this year in part because of a lack of senior desire for the program due to the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions on engagement with the middle schoolers.”
Apart from the ribbon, Tyscenski and the Health Interns raised awareness and money in other ways. Health Teacher Phoebe Aberlin said, “When we had a dress code, and you still had to dress up every day, a lot of fundraising happened through selling t-shirts in exchange for a dress-down day. So we’d sell the think pink shirts.” The Health Interns and the Think Pink committee shared the common goal of supporting those with breast cancer, and Tyscenski played an essential role in supporting both groups.
The photo taken of the ribbon was uploaded to Poly Prep’s social media platforms. Winston addressed the Poly community by email on October 24, thanking them for their cooperation and respect, as well as attributing Tyscenski by writing, “The Think Pink ribbon this year took on new meaning as we held space for our collective grief as we remember and honor the life and legacy of Ms. Ty.”
Students and faculty who came together appreciated the opportunity to honor Tyscenski’s legacy and be a part of creating something important to her. Freshman Delia Pawlak said, “The ribbon was a beautiful tribute to Ms. Ty, allowing us to reflect both personally and as a community on how Ms. Ty has brought so much positive change to our lives.”
Aberlin concluded with a final tribute: “I am the teacher I am today because I worked with her for so long. She was always a force for good and did everything with the mentality of what is best for kids first. Not what’s easy, but what’s best for the kids.”
