As time passes by, more and more memories from elementary school fade away only to be replaced by ones from high school and beyond. But for many of us, the fondest moments of our formative years begin with gym class. Whether it was learning to juggle scarves for the first time or outlasting your classmates on the jump rope, physical education class became a respite from the adjustment to “real” homework and spelling quizzes. More importantly, physical education classes, especially those led by the beloved Mr. Minutoli at Spring Hill Elementary, have become a critical part of shaping students’ lives through lessons in cooperation and competition that foster a healthy lifestyle early on.

Clearly devoted to the development of young minds in Fairfax County, both Mr. and Mrs. Minutoli have been dedicated teachers at Spring Hill who often contributed to annual community events like the Spring Hill Fun Run and Jump Rope for Heart. Now, Spring Hill families of the past and present have gathered to support a cause that hits closer to home.

Recently, Mr. Minutoli was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, a type of cancer found in blood and bone marrow. Given the stage of Mr. Minutoli’s condition, he is set to undergo an aggressive treatment plan at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Due to the substantial costs of both the treatment and the travel expenses, Spring Hill Cares, a parent-run organization not affiliated with FCPS, has created a GoFundMe page to support the Minutoli family and their costly medical bills. Only five days after its creation, the page has already raised over $18,000 dollars, about a third of the way to their goal of $50,000.

Mr. Minutoli has been a well-known and well-liked educator at Spring Hill for over fifteen years, and even my fellow classmates recognize the name and recount the times when climbing under parachutes and learning how to dribble was the latest news on the playground. Remembered as a man with a booming voice and kind spirit, Mr. Minutoli never failed to make previous students laugh with his brazen humor amidst the many games of Mission Impossible. His overwhelming dedication to the school and its subsequent families is immeasurable years later, but the opportunity to give back some of the support he so graciously gave to us is not one that is easily passed up local families. Over 200 members of the Spring Hill community have already demonstrated their admiration for the “institution” that is Mr. Minutoli, and the Saxon Scope encourages any and all who know him and the values he embodied to donate to his fight against leukemia via the GoFundMe link below:

https://www.gofundme.com/support-for-the-minutoli-family