Any long story involves numerous interviews and data collection, much of which needs to be winnowed out to enhance a story’s clarity.

That was the case with the story that ran today in the newspaper about kids, schools and cancer.

Over the next few days, I’ll be supplementing the written report here in the Hall Monitor with some of the comments and information collected during the reporting of the story that, for one reason or another, didn’t make the final edit.

Much of what the students and staff I interviewed had to say was pertinent, heart-wrenching or enlightening. I would like to pass on to readers some of their issues and comments over the next several days. So keep watch.

Erin McAllister, program director, Gilda’s Club South Jersey: “We went into one school that had absolutely no idea if kids had been touched by cancer. They couldn’t name one kid. We did some outreach and had 20 kids at our first meeting.

“There are tons of myths in the high school. We still have kids who think cancer is contagious, or that people are sick from cancer itself (instead) of the chemo. They ask ‘why do you lose your hair?’ You can end a lot of myths by doing a little education, by getting them talking about the medical part of cancer. It lets this communication about social/emotional happen.”