High school students had the opportunity to donate blood to the Carter Blood Center for the annual blood drive Sept. 29.

“I wanted to donate because it’s for a good cause, and I can help people,” senior Martie McAlister said. 

The blood drive had 92 donors registered and 82 units were collected. 73 of the registered donors were first time donors.

“I was pretty calm about it because I’ve gotten my blood drawn before,” junior Tayla Calico said. “One of the nurses talked to me, and she just formed bonds to keep me calm.”

The waiting time differed from person to person, but most waited an average of 30 minutes. 

“They just asked me if I was okay and I was like, yeah because I wasn’t as busy as everyone else,” Calico said. “Everyone else is kind of tired afterwards, and I wasn’t.”

Donating two pints of blood as a senior gives students the opportunity to earn a red cord for graduation. 

“Of course I wanted my red cord, but I also wanted to do it for like a good reason to help somebody that needed it,” McAlister said.