By Joanna Harris, Staff Reporter

As colorful rocks lined Conestoga’s cafeteria tables, they represented more than decoration: They were a show of support for a local cause. The Interact Club held a rock painting event on March 16 in honor of former Conestoga student Oliver Feldman, who passed away in 2019 from osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, when he was 17 years old. The club’s goal in painting rocks was to raise awareness about osteosarcoma and its impact on teenagers.

“Oliver went to Conestoga and grew up in this community,” said senior and Interact Club co-president Tory Gauthier. “He’s someone who was very close to us and to this community. It’s important to give back to him and to respect him and appreciate his life and keep that in our memories.”

According to the American Cancer Society, osteosarcoma disproportionately affects teenagers in comparison to other age groups.  Oliver Feldman’s mother, Lauren Feldman, said that because the disease inflicts a relatively small part of the population, it receives minimal government funding. As a result there is a lack of scientific research and effective treatment for the disease.

Interact Club members hoped to raise awareness for the disease through its rock painting event.

“It gives us a sense of being thankful for what we have,” said sophomore Jenna Khalil, who attended the event. “We’re able to draw on these (rocks) with both of our arms. Oliver couldn’t use one of his arms because the cancer spread in it.”

Conestoga’s Interact Club is a branch of Rotary International, an organization that assigns service projects to chapters around the country to provide students with opportunities to give back to their community and help those in need.

“To me, (painting rocks) resembles happiness through the rock itself as a beautiful way of bringing someone’s life who has passed away and keeping his memory with us,” Gauthier said.

Lauren Feldman said that her son loved art and always made a point to be a positive and kind influence to those around him. His personality inspired her to create the Oliver Rocks program, which organizes events like the one at Conestoga. Oliver Rocks also provides supplies for people to paint rocks and to display them around their communities to spread joy.

“In the world today, there’s a lot going on, and sometimes we feel really powerless, helpless and maybe sad about it. I think that (although) things are out of our control, we still have the ability to decide how we’re going to respond to something,” Lauren Feldman said. “Spreading joy out into the world, just as a way of living, is really important.”

Joanna Harris can be reached at [email protected].