WALK-A-THON 2003 –

WALK IN FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY

The Walk-a-thon is part of the tradition of the St. Patrick school community. More than any other activities held during the school year, the annual walk-a-thon best exemplifies the spirit of St. Patrick as a caring community of learners. It is an event that calls forth the participation of, and brings out the best in, each member of the school community.

This year's Walk-a-thon took place on Wednesday, May 14, 2003 . Once again, we were blessed with fine, sunny weather despite the seemingly endless downpours in the days preceding the Walk. As staff and students gathered in the backfield, our chaplaincy team, consisting of Ms. Mary Kelly and Mr. Tom Penney, was busy making the last minute arrangements for the school Mass to begin. Yes, an outdoor Mass before the commencement of the Walk for the entire school community. Father John Kiesling of St. Joan of Arc parish was our celebrant. In his homily, Father John spoke to us on the theme of our Walk-a-thon – Walk in Faith, Hope and Charity . When we did begin our 10-kilometre Walk to the Woodbine Beach and Martin Goodman Trail, we were invigorated with a renewed sense of purpose and endowed with a deeper awareness of the spiritual and symbolic dimensions of our undertaking. This outdoor Mass was such a positive and uplifting experience that all, staff and students alike, were unanimous in making it an integral part of the St. Patrick Walk-a-thon tradition.

The Walk-a-thon is the major fund-raising event at St. Patrick's. In the past, funds raised were used to address needs in areas such as athletic uniforms, technology and computer lab equipment, enhancement of the library as a resource and learning centre, audio-visual equipment for music and drama production, as well as an emergency fund to assist students in financial difficulties. We will continue with this tradition of allocating funds to better meet the learning needs of our students. Many proposals for fund allocation have been received; approval of submitted proposals will be made when the Walk-a-thon Committee reconvenes this coming September. The total amount of funds raised this year is approximately $15,000.00.

Apart from achieving its fundraising goal, perhaps what is most memorable about the Walk-a-thon to the majority of students was the day itself. After completing the walk, everyone was welcomed back to the schoolyard for a carnival type of celebration: It included great barbecue food prepared by our experienced Walk-a-thon chefs, Mr. Tom Beauvais, Mr. Rob Carino and Mr. Mark Sherlock under the diligent supervision of Mrs. Denise McMullan. We also had a great variety of activities and games, planned and organized by a special team of teachers under the leadership of Mr. Michael Bar, our enthusiastic and irrepressible Activity Co-ordinator. In terms of activities, they ranged from basketball, badminton, mini golf, volleyball, soccer, water-balloon toss to the crowd drawing street hockey tournament. For the less boisterous, we had Twister, double dutch skipping and chess. Indeed, there was something for everyone.

In this year's Walk-a-thon, we also started a new “routine”. Instead of the traditional post-walk-a-thon assembly with its elaborate and drawn out process of prize giving, we decided to simplify the whole operation by replacing it with the graduated draw for three major prizes. The draws were conducted over a three-day period, one week after the walk-a-thon, and the results were announced over the PA during the afternoon announcement time. The first prize, an 18-speed CCM mountain bike, was most generously donated by our Catholic School Advisory Council while the second and third prizes, an MP3 Player and a 3D Portable Computer System, were procured for us by Mr. Bill Langevin, Head of Communication Technology Department.

In retrospect, this year's Walk-a-thon was definitely a resounding success, matching the achievement of previous years in terms of fulfilling its threefold purpose: enriching school spirit, promoting healthy, physical activity and raising additional funds to enhance our learning environment. This success was the fruit of our labour as a school community. It was a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the staff and students of St. Patrick's.

In the organization of large-scale events, there are inevitably special moments, individuals and/or groups that one remembers even long after the actual happening. Ms. Anna Enenajor's ESL Class was one such special group in this year's Walk-a-thon. This class of eight students, who were still struggling to master the rudiments of the English language, was able to raise over $1,000 under the coaching and encouragement of their ESL teacher. Their efforts and their determination to contribute to the school had brought about this remarkable result, a result that was nothing short of a “miracle”. We were privileged to have witnessed such a “miracle” and we look forward to its reoccurrence in the near future.