Cold shivers run down your back. You feel the tingling in your spine. Your hair stands up. You shiver from the ice water. If you hadn’t already guessed, this is the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Ice Bucket Challenge. I see it all over the news, at NHS, even on my social profiles such as Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. So we know what an ice bucket is, but what does ALS mean?

ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a disease that affects a person’s nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The nerves, which are attacked by ALS, are the motor neurons which control movement in the body, making people who have this disease unable to move according to the ALS Association. But do people even know what ALS is before they do the challenge? “We talked about it in Health [class]…I don’t really remember,” sophomore Emily Seig said. This goes to show that some people may have a vague knowledge of the disease but very limited info on the actual subject at hand.

The ALS Ice Bucket is a great cause and an amazing way to raise money, but many kids don’t do it for the right reasons. The reason behind the use of cold water is to give you some similar feelings to the symptoms of ALS. The reason for dumping a bucket of ice water on someone’s head is instead of donating $100, a person can donate less and get others to do the challenge and donate. But when sophomore Rebecca Storey was asked if she had donated, she replied with a sad, “No.” Is there a reason for this? “I would if I had money,” senior Sarah Prater said. But this does not apply to everyone, so some people should still donate what they can.

ALS is still incurable, but if we raise awareness by doing the challenge for the right reasons, we can help people have a better understanding what ALS really is. Unlike the frivolous cinnamon challenge that people do for no reason, or the salt and ice challenge, the ALS challenge has a purpose, a meaning. It’s not just something to post to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to challenge your friends with. Don’t just be a social follower, be someone who helps others.