October 11, 2007

Los Alamitos celebrates landlubbers at annual walk-a-thon

By Shana Moore
Times Columnist

The students of Los Alamitos Elementary School didn’t just walk the plank at this year’s pirate-themed walk-a-thon, they collectively walked to New York and back, and then walked some more. There was no doubt the 500 registered landlubbers had left their sea legs home for the day when they walked a cumulative total of 6,100 miles.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! Some of the older Los Alamitos students nearly take off before the starting bell as they hurry to get all their mileage in before the end of the day.

The day got off to a festive start with the annual teacher dance led by second-grade teacher and resident staff choreographer Debbie Merrell. With patch-covered eyes and plenty of bandanas and pirate hats, the teachers entertained the eager participants with a lively dance to “Treasure.”

Then it was all business as students ran the first lap, anxious to get their lap cards punched for the first time. Fifth-grader Connor Crinion had to make every moment count to squeeze in the more than 40 miles he logged by the end of the event some seven hours later. “My goal was to fill my lap card and I did it. This is my last walk-a-thon and I wanted to make it my best,” said Crinion. He was in good company as some 50 children were still walking at 4 p.m. when it was time to end the busy day.

The younger students of Los Alamitos also met their goals. Kindergartener Trent Peters said the best part of the event was “going around and around with my friends and my brother.” Second-grader and big brother Cole “CJ” Peters agreed. “We walked 16 laps and got lots of prizes and we even got to spray our hair blue.”

Event Chair Jill Anderson was thrilled by the efforts of all the students. “To see the younger kids who walk five miles or the fourth and fifth graders who walk all day is really gratifying. These kids are so full of school spirit that they walk well past the moment they feel tired and sore, but they keep smiling,” Anderson said.

The student fund-raising efforts were just as impressive. “Some kids had up to four pledge sheets full of sponsors,” Anderson added. “They asked friends, neighbors and even their parents’ colleagues to support our school.” Fund-raising totals will be available in several weeks, once all of the pledges have been collected.

Ahoy mateys, a group of fun-loving pirates—also known as Los Alamitos Elementary School teachers—pose for a photo before they walk the plank.

The silent auction was another big success this year, with an estimated increase of 30 percent in net proceeds. Auction chairs Monique Guerra and Debbie Michels had a fun new approach in the offering of some group events that helped raise the extra funds. By selling individual tickets to a poker night for dads and a margarita night for moms, they were able to raise more money than by selling the whole event to one single person. The parents responded enthusiastically to the idea of having a good time for a good cause.

The most buzz-worthy item at the auction was full of nostalgia. Los Alamitos mom and PTA President Lynne Wach, together with her mother-in-law Pat Wach, created a quilt made of the walk-a-thon T-shirts from the past 10 years. Rather than seeing the quilt be stored in a private home, Guerra and Michels decided to ask families to donate to display the quilt in the school media center for all to enjoy. Exactly 155 families donated $10 each to have their names included on a plaque to display with the quilt.

All the donations that made for this year’s treasure for the funding of programs to benefit the children are only half the goal of this annual event. The other half, the true bounty that no pirate can pillage, is the sense of community the school feels when everyone comes out for the common cause of fun and fundraising.