Stair Masters Climbing for a Cause

Mike Seavert says climbing 47 flights of stairs is no easy task. Even for an avid jogger like himself, it’s a workout like no other.

But the view is worth it, and so is the cause.

Seavert, and the school’s Student Council advisor, will join five middle school students and one high school freshman Saturday in the Fight For Air Climb, a climb of 1,034 steps in the U.S. Bank Building in Milwaukee, the state’s tallest building.

This is the second year Seavert has led a group on the climb after reading about the charitable cause in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“I like to go jogging. I try to stay in shape that way, and I help coach the cross country team,” Seavert said. “I thought it would be something I would be interested doing, and knowing we have a lot of kids that like to jog and run here, it would be something they’d be interested in, too.”

The Whitnall contingent is seeking donations that will go to the American Lung Association for educating people about asthma and the dangers of smoking, funding research and advocating healthy air.

Seavert said his goal is to be a role model for his students and encourage them to practice healthy lifestyle habits. Though he comes from a family of smokers, Seavert has never smoked, a story he’s happy to tell his pupils.

“Middle school is that age where there is a lot of peer pressure and daring to try things like drugs and alcohol and cigarettes,” he said. “I’m very proud to tell my students that I have never put a cigarette in my mouth. … The kids need to see someone who does things like that.”

Seavert said he is also participating in the stair climb to promote asthma awareness; he is climbing in honor of a couple of sixth-graders who suffer from severe asthma.

Each team member has a goal to raise at least $100, or $700 as a team. As of Wednesday morning, the team had raised approximately $565.

Cash and check donations (made payable to American Lung Association) will be collected at the middle school through Friday. Online donations are also accepted through the Whitnall Stair Climber's team website.

To motivate other middle school students to donate, Seavert agreed to participate in a “stuck for a buck” fundraising effort. Every dollar the Whitnall team raises buys the student body a foot-long piece of duct tape that will be used to tape Seavert to a wall Friday.

“I might even get a pie in the face,” he said.