Carrier Mills-Stonefort Principal takes ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Carrier Mills-Stonefort Elementary School Principal Bryce Jerrell bravely completed an ALS challenge when he was deluged with a tractor bucket of ice and water on Friday afternoon.

"Scott DeWar recently challenged all the principals in Saline County," Jerrell said. "I accepted and was very, very surprised and happy with the response of the students."

In just a week, the students at the Carrier Mills-Stonefort grade school raised $718 for the ALS Association. ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. At the beginning of last week, Jerrell had issued a flyer to all classes announcing the challenge, stating that for every $20 from each classroom a large bag of ice would be added to the water dump. In a flurry of money raising that has left parents proud and amused, albeit bereft of coin change, the students responded and a total of three large and seven small bags of ice were poured into the tractor bucket on Friday afternoon.

As the staff and students of the Carrier Mills-Stonefort grade school gathered in front of the building, the grade school student council gleefully filled the tractor bucket with ice and water. The tractor, provided by Shawn Murphy of Mad Mo Excavation, raised the bucket and edged forward as Jerrell took his place in a lawn chair on the driveway. With a cheery thumbs up and a brave smile Jerrell signaled for the water to be dumped. Sheets of water cascaded down, drenching Jerrell and eliciting cries of glee and laughter from the students and cheers from the staff.

"That was not what I was expecting," a drenched and shivering Jerrell said as he dried his face on a towel. "That really takes your breath away!"

Jerrell announced that he now challenged Crap Orchard first-year principal Cy Stone, Mike Eisenhauer at the Carrier Mills-Stonefort High School and any teacher at the grade school whose class had raised $20 for the challenge.