The classrooms at Westbrook School will be empty on Sept. 29, as students embark on their staple Walk-a-thon to raise money for the rural school.
The yearly walk is a major fundraiser for the school that supports field trips and transportation for students. Funds are raised through pledges from family and community members to let even the smallest students participate. On average, students raise between $16,000 and $20,000 from every Walk-a-thon.
Around 161 students from kindergarten to Grade 8 will start on Range Road 43 and complete a seven-to-12-kilometre loop that takes them back to school grounds. Almost 100 per cent of students who participate complete the route they have planned or meet the goals they lay out beforehand.
The event has been a tradition for Westbrook School for over 60 years. Assistant principal for Westbrook School, Hana Hooper, said the Walk-a-thon accurately portrays the values of their institution.
“Our school is founded on three pillars – tradition, community, and strength,” she said. “So, the school really believes that to offer the best education possible, it has to be a joint [effort] with the community and this is an example of that.”
Parents walk alongside students, operate check stops along the route, and provide a hotdog lunch for students when they complete their walk. Cochrane RCMP personnel are also present to ensure the safety of everyone participating.
Given the longevity of the event, the Walk-a-thon has become a staple for different generations of families who attended Westbrook School. Hooper remarks that her children will be the next generation of students participating in the upcoming walk.
“Our Children are next generation Westbrook kids and it is their favourite day because it is a day to socialize with 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. Reception has always been positive, even with participants who are now teachers.
“We even have a teacher who just joined us this school year and she is an [alumna],” Hooper said. “She did 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 classmates.”
With community involvement playing a major role for students, faculty, and parents participating in this event, Hooper believes this is what makes the Walk-a-thon a special event for the small rural school.
“The community coming together to support the students in a healthy and active way just radiates the idea that we are stronger if we are working together,” Hooper said.
Leading up to Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30, participants are encouraged to wear orange to remember the Indigenous children who never returned from residential schools, and honour the survivors, their families, and their communities.
Hooper adds their Walk-a-ton will start with a Land Acknowledgment and participants will be reminded to be good stewards of the land while walking.
