The event has been a tradition for Westbrook School for over 60 years.
Classrooms at Westbrook School will be empty on September 29 as students embark on their grassroots walk-a-thon to raise funds for the rural school.
The annual walk is a major fundraiser for the school that supports field trips and student transportation. Funds are raised through pledges from family and community members to allow even the smallest students to participate. On average, students raise between $16,000 and $20,000 at each Walk-a-thon.
Approximately 161 K-8 students will start at Range Road 43 and complete a seven to 12 kilometer loop back to the school grounds. Nearly 100% of students who participate complete the course they have planned or achieve the goals they set beforehand.
The event has been a tradition for Westbrook School for over 60 years. Westbrook School vice-principal Hana Hooper said the walk-a-thon accurately portrays their school’s values.
“Our school is founded on three pillars: tradition, community and strength,” she said. “So the school really believes that in order to provide the best education possible, it has to be a [effort] with the community and this is an example.
Parents walk alongside students, set up check-in stops along the route, and provide students with a hot dog meal at the end of their walk. Cochrane RCMP personnel are also on hand to ensure the safety of all attendees.
Given the longevity of the event, the Walk-a-thon has become a staple for the different generations of families who have attended Westbrook School. Hooper notes that his children will be the next generation of students participating in the upcoming march.
“Our kids are next generation Westbrook kids and it’s their favorite day because it’s a day to socialize with the kids. [in the years] above and below you,” she said. “They just work together as a community and take care of each other.”
Students enjoy participating in the annual event. The reception has always been positive, even among the participants who have become teachers.
“We even have a teacher who just joined us this school year and she’s a [alumna]”, Hooper said. “She participated in the Walk-a-thon in the 90s, and her stories are still the fondest memories of all her years at Westbrook as the best way to socialize with her classmates.
With community involvement playing a major role for the students, teachers and parents who attend this event, Hooper believes this is what makes the Walk-a-thon a special event for the small rural school.
“The community that comes together to support students in a healthy and active way only radiates the idea that we are stronger if we work together,” Hooper said.
Ahead of Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30, attendees are encouraged to wear orange to remember Indigenous children who never returned from residential schools and to honor survivors, their families and communities.
Hooper adds that their Walk-a-ton will begin with an acknowledgment of the land and participants will be reminded to be good stewards of the land as they walk.