“Five schools, two states, one cause.” This catchy tagline has been repeated every year as the SUA community begins preparing for the annual Orange and White flag football game. Tryouts are held, the team is established, plays are made, and tickets are sold. However, through this hectic process, the central purpose of the game can be lost.

This flag football game is not a chance for two all-girls schools to compete through epic rivalry as the boys’ schools try to outdo each other during the halftime show, but a chance for high school students to support one another and raise money for a great cause. This year, a new tagline has been created: “strong alone, unstoppable together.” When both teams take the field on April 29 at Notre Dame Academy, they will be doing more than just playing football; they will be showing the community the great change that comes from working together.

In honor of a former SUA student, Natalie Bradley ‘09, all proceeds of the football game are put toward funding for Leukemia research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The seven past games have raised a total of over $50,000. Last year’s game brought in a record-setting $9,700, which was all given to the Children’s Hospital. The Saint Ursula and Notre Dame communities both work together as the teams hold joint practices and bonding events while encouraging students at their respective schools to buy tickets.

This game was definitely a highlight for all students in attendance. A tailgate kicked off the afternoon at 4pm, which was followed by a brief prayer service and then the coin toss around 5pm. For any fans who were not fully satisfied by watching the game, there was a riveting halftime show put on by the Covington Catholic and Saint Xavier boys. SUA seniors Alexandria Hendon, Audrey Felton, Annaliese Andsager, and Caroline Farrell choreographed a dance, set to several of Beyonce’s hit songs, that 20 boys from St. Xavier attempted to learn over the course of a few weeks.

Although it initially seems as though the Orange and White game may foster an intense rivalry, the sisterhood formed between the Academies of Saint Ursula and Notre Dame proves otherwise. By working together to fight a horrible disease, students from these high schools are proving just how important it is to look past differences to enact positive change.