By Sabine Poux

If you ask any Briarcliff upperclassmen who donated blood why they decided to do it, they’ll probably tell you it’s because it was the right thing to do. Or they may say they did it to get out of class. What they probably won’t tell you is that the pint of blood they donated could save as many as three lives. And for the small price of the pinch of a needle in the arm, this sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

The blood drive, which has been a popular event at Briarcliff for over 30 years, was the combined effort of the National Honor Society and the Red Cross Club and took place on February 7. The American Red Cross brought a team of professionals from the New York Blood Bank to the event to take the samples. After the donors gave blood, there was an opportunity for them to eat snacks to keep from passing out, and they were sent back to class 15 minutes later.

In order to become a donor, students had to be at least 16 years old and had to be able to meet certain weight and height requirements. This year, 58 students donated one pint of blood each, and 10 students donated two pints for a grand total of 78 pints of blood, which was only 12 pints shy of the NHS’s original goal. Overall, the event was a big hit. Much of its success was due to the extensive help of NHS co-presidents Molly Charney and Eric Wasserman as well as American Red Cross Presidents Grace Orr and Rob Contento.

“We are really happy with the school’s participation in the blood drive this year,” said Molly. “The Red Cross Club also helped out a lot, and the drive wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without them.”

All the donations will go to the New York Blood Bank, which will distribute the samples to people in need. And, since each pint can potentially save three lives, collectively Briarcliff might help up to 234 people. Makes the prick of a needle seem like absolutely nothing.