A 19-year-old alumni with the name of Zach Saunders got the honor of being the new face of the spirit rock.

The first time Saunders, a former student who graduated in 2017, got diagnosed with neuroblastoma the school decided to walk out onto the football field to show support for him and his family. The second time Zach got diagnosed two students, senior Mason Vetoer and former student Alfonso Quagliata, decided to paint the spirit rock for him.

“They painted the rock to raise awareness and give support to Zach Saunders,” student council advisor Amber Bronson said.

To paint the rock Vetoer filled out a form saying he wanted to repaint the rock, met with Bronson and got approval from principal Jared McEvoy. They also used the colors purple, gold and white because those are the colors of their club called the Overkill Car Club which hosts car shows and charity events, according to Quagliata.

“I knew everyone who came, which were friends of Zach’s and I but to everyone that did come, they’re awesome,” Saunders’ brother John Saunders said.

The rock isn’t the only thing they did to honor Saunders; his family hosted an event for him on October 14th.

“We had a huge charity event with cars for him. He loves cars, so me and my team at Overkill Car Club had a big car show for him,” Quagliata said. “All the money earned is going towards Zach to help pay for all the medical bills coming in.”

Zach is still staying at the hospital but according to sophomore Ben Saunders, Saunders’ brother, he’s doing pretty good at the moment but they’re still running tests and he still gets sick here and there.

“It helps to know everyone is there,” B. Saunders said, “and that they care about him and our family.”