The Watertown High football team took time before its game with Wakefield last Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, to honor Donna Maher at Victory Field.

Watertown High’s weeklong Think Pink breast cancer awareness week this year was dedicated to Donna, a three-time cancer survivor. Donna, an instructional assistant, will be retiring next month.

Before the game, the WHS football seniors honored Donna during the coin toss. She was brought out on the field and presented with flowers. Max Bunnell wrote a speech about her impact on the students at WHS.

Here is the text of Max’s speech:

At this time, the football team would like to call Donna Maher, Instructional Assistant at the high school to the field.

Donna Maher has dedicated 34 years of her life to this school for countless laughs and touching the hearts of every kid she’s talked to. She has a wonderful sense of humor and is always willing to help us through our school work without any hesitation. She not only helps the students in the class she is assigned to, but all students in any way she can.

For the past 10 years, she has also helped organize Watertown students to help volunteer at Camp Sunshine, a program that was started for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

Donna is a three-time cancer survivor, including breast cancer. This past Thursday the students at the high school celebrated the fifth annual WHS Thinks Pink Day, a fund-raiser for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, but this year was special. This year the students of Watertown High School came together to celebrate Donna and all of her accomplishments.

The money raised from this fund-raiser will be donated in her honor the the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for breast cancer research.

Donna plans to retire this November and the high school will not be the same without her.

Thank you Donna!

–Oct. 26, 2018-