Seventh-grade boys wearing "Tough Guys Wear Pink" T-shirts were the icing on the cake of a schoolwide, collaborative effort at West Cary Middle School to raise awareness for breast cancer. Students and teachers wore pink and white Friday for a "Pink Out!" and gathered on the field in the shape of a human pink ribbon.

But that was just one event in a fundraising campaign that will last until December. The school is raising money for breast cancer research through "Cheer for a Cure." The school's goal is $3,000, and so far, students and teachers have raised $280. The fundraiser will wrap up on Dec. 10, when the cheerleaders will participate in a cheering competition in Mocksville, N.C.

"It's awesome; it's so meaningful for survivors and kids who have family members suffering with cancer," said Donna Burnette, a seventh-grade math teacher and breast cancer survivor. She is in her eighth year of remission. "Campaigns like this give hope for a cure."

The school's efforts are not limited to one or two organizers. Students have gotten involved and used multidisciplinary approaches to reach their goals. Eighth-grader Ashley James got the idea for the human pink "ribbon" after the school spelled out "Imps" (the school's mascot) last year. As a member of the yearbook staff, she wanted to do something that would help the breast cancer awareness campaign and make an impact. She teamed up with fellow eighth-grader and math wiz Eunice Seo to plot out how to fit 719 students and their teachers on the field. It took them more than a month to work out the logistics.

Cheerleader Kendyl Burkinshaw said that girls wore pink ribbons in their hair during October to draw attention to the campaign, and she hopes all the events will help reach the goal of $3,000. "We have one cheerleader who has raised over $250 herself, and at the end of it all, we get to participate in a great competition," Burkinshaw said.

The school is also collecting pink lids from Yoplait yogurt containers and participated in a Breast Cancer Walk-a-Thon in Southeast Raleigh.