Alisal High takes on the Ice Bucket Challenge

With a movement that’s raised more than $40 million for ALS research, the Ice Bucket Challenge has become the most viral activity of the summer.

Friday, students at Alisal High School in Salinas got a dose of education as they watched their teachers get doused with ice cold water.

Natalie Bernasconi organized the challenge to educate her students about the disease that took her sister from her three weeks ago.

“Once you get a diagnosis of ALS, there is no cure, you have no hope,” Bernasconi said.

Bernasconi said her sister, Jan Manis, was an activist, a nurse, and was an inspiration to her.

“My whole life is a teaching moment,” she said after telling News Channel 5 she and her sister were also cancer survivors. Bernasconi survived it twice.

Despite the excitement of seeing their teachers get ice dumped on their heads, the students also learned something about ALS.

“This just shows that people will feel what it’s like to have your body freeze up and they’ll experience a little taste of what ALS is,” said Oscar Ocana, a senior at Alisal High.

“Anything we can do to help raise funds and raise awareness about this disease can help future people that get this terrible diagnosis to actually have some hope for their lives,” Bernasconi said, fighting back tears.