Staci Reith, Ballard kindergarten teacher, is about to take a water balloon to the head. Luckily, it glanced off without popping. Leader photo/CRAIG HAUPERT

It was a wet Wednesday at Ballard Elementary School in Niles.

Students who raised the most money for the Ballard Relay for Life event on May 3 got to throw water balloons at teachers and staff near the track behind the school Wednesday afternoon.

Principal David Eichenberg said it was a celebration of the students’ hard work. Students raised approximately $3,000 by pledging to walk around the track for 30 to 45 minutes on May 3.

It is the third year Ballard students have participated in Relay for Life. Last year, they raised $3,000.

Willow Brawley, a Ballard fifth-grader, came up with the idea of throwing water balloons at teachers as a way to motivate students to raise money.

Students threw water balloons at a select teacher from each grade level, kindergarten through fifth grade, and other staff members.

The Ballard Relay for Life tradition began several years ago when a student at Eastside was diagnosed with cancer, prompting the school to organize a Relay for Life. When Eastside closed in 2010, the event moved to Ballard.