By Rebecca Noeske

The Pedersen Dodgeball Tournament, an annual event held by the Central’s National Honor
Society to benefit former Walled Lake physical education teacher Kirk Pederson, took place last
Friday, April 26. Teachers and students alike got together to form teams and compete against
each other.

Teams were limited to 6 players per team. The teams were involved in a series of dodgeball
games, while other activities were also available to participants when they were not playing. A
DJ was also there the entire night spinning tracks for participants to enjoy.

“It was truly an amazing event,” said senior Anna Moshkovych. “We were successful in our goal
and everyone had a blast playing dodgeball.”

Nearly $1000 in prizes was raffled off throughout the event. Among the items being raffled
were a free tuxedo rental, which went to teacher Tracy Banjanin, and $200 gift cards to several
luxurious spas. Additionally, each business that donated to the cause had their logo printed on
the back of custom ordered Pedersen t-shirts, designed by Pedersen himself. French teacher
Barbie Green also agreed to raffle off her prime parking spot to help raise money for Pedersen.

All the participants agreed that the tournament was a lot of fun, although for some, the evening
took a more painful turn.

“I ended up getting a bloody nose at the tournament when I got hit in the face with a ball,” said
senior Josh Mandilk. “But as soon as it had stopped I was back in the game!”

In 2008, Pedersen fell from a faulty tree stand while hunting, resulting in a severe and
debilitating spinal cord injury. Last year, 2012, students from Walled Lake Central’s National
Honor Society worked together to begin a nonprofit annual dodgeball tournament to raise money
for Pedersen’s cause. All proceeds go directly to Pedersen and his medical bills.