Photography by Parker Gillcash and Samir Shah

As you enter Clausen Hall, your pulse suddenly quickens and a wave of anxiety washes over you. Students and teachers are scattered throughout the room, reclining in chairs with IV tubes injected into their arms with blood streaming into a plastic blood collection bag. Some wait with brown iodine spread where the needle will be inserted, anxiously squeezing a stress ball as the nurse approaches with the dreaded needle. Welcome to the 2011 INOVA Blood Drive.

Students and teachers gathered in Clausen Hall to donate their blood from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on March 14. Students could pick up registration forms last week during lunch that had to be turned in by March 7. Students under 16 had to have a parent’s signature, and all students had to complete the forms with their required information. Teachers went through an easier process by simply being able to walk in.

“I decided to donate blood because it’s convenient and available here right at school,” English teacher Julia Hanneman said. Hanneman donated blood at AHS last year and has donated it about seven times at other blood drives as well.

Students had to be generally healthy, have good levels of iron and weigh preferably at least 110 lbs. All these things were checked over during the screening process that donors had to go through before donating blood.

“The process is actually very disturbing, but I think I have the blood type that is a universal donor,” Hanneman said. “If you can do it, you should.”

Donors received a free t-shirt from the blood drive, and snacks and drinks were also available for replenishing after donating blood. The blood drive was run by the Leadership class and INOVA Blood Donor Services.

“I wanted to try donating blood and save lives at the same time,” sophomore SungBin Heo said. “I’m not nervous about it; I’m not scared of the needles.”

“I like the idea of saving lives and I really want to find out my blood type,” junior Gabriela Taboada said. It was Taboada’s first time donating blood, and she felt nervous as she ate Oreos while waiting to donate her blood.

“It was cool seeing the blood come out of your arm,” junior Sarah Knelein said. “My arm felt numb and I felt like I couldn’t move; it was kind of scary, but I want to do it next year.”