Led by Vice Principal Jeff Urbaniec, St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Costa Mesa held a video game tournament honoring 13-year-old Jackson “Jack” Beanes. Beanes passed away on July 10 and his fellow students wanted to pay tribute to him, doing one of the things he loved best: playing Mario Kart. All proceeds from the tournament went to CHOC, whose doctors and nurses took care of Jack for the four years that he valiantly fought to conquer cancer.
The competitors had a wonderful time during a series of lively matches. The top Mario Kart racers were 8th-grader Ian Hutton, who placed first, while 8th-grader Braeden Mageean placed second and 7th-grader Cassidy Son placed third.
The total amount raised was $2,500. A check was presented to Ann Marie Jacobus, associate director of Digital Philanthropy at CHOC, by Principal Paula Viles, Fr. Augustine, Beanes’ mother Corinne Beanes, and a group of students.