By J1 Reporter Erin Walter

Change is in the air this year as the fierce competition between the classes commences. The hallways have been constantly buzzing with conversation concerning the big changes made to Walk-A-Thon and Color Block.

Junior Class Officer Lauren Novacek has been adamant about spreading the word of these changes to her fellow classmates. “It’s important to me that everyone is on the same page,” Novacek said. She wants to be sure that everyone understands what these changes are and why they were made.
“In previous years there was a point system,” Novacek said. “The points you could get depended on how your class did in Walk-A-Thon, how many discipline points your class got, and how many BOSS points your class got.”
“This year, Walk-A-Thon results only pertain to round one of color block. BOSS points and discipline points only pertain to round two of color block. Walk-A-Thon will determine the order you pick your theme, the order for when you go at Field Day, and your first color choice. BOSS points and discipline points will solely determine the order for picking your second color,” Novacek said.
Changing parts of something so near and dear to Marian girls’ hearts—Field Day—would not go unnoticed. No, this was quite the deal for students, as they were pushed straight into the Field Day drama with only a few weeks of the new school year under their belts. “I didn’t think Walk-A-Thon was going to be this big of a competition,” freshman Cori Johnson said.
Many were curious as to why the changes were made. Novacek said, “The changes were made so that Walk-A-Thon doesn’t have the heaviest weight for Color Block anymore, and so that BOSS points will become much more important.”
“These changes will promote the need for school spirit and make it so that more girls attend Marian events. They will also benefit Walk-A-Thon because it will motivate the girls to raise more money so they can have the very first pick of Color Block,” Novacek said.
Obviously, the changes brought forth a number of different reactions and opinions from the student body. “I like the new changes because they add a twist and also a second chance because if you don’t do well in Walk-A-Thon you can still do better with BOSS points and discipline points,” senior Avery Shepherd said.
Junior Rachel Walet is also a supporter of the decreased stress on Walk-A-Thon as a part of Color Block. “I like that success at Color Block is now bigger than just Walk-Thon,” Walet said.
In addition to the new point system, the decision was also made to announce the results of Walk-A-Thon the day of rather than at Color Block. This concerned some students.
“I don’t like finding out results this early because it starts Field Day anxiety way too soon,” Walet said.
Shepherd agreed, adding, “This year is already super competitive so I don’t think starting the drama this early is such a good idea.”
However, things didn’t go exactly as planned when Walk-A-Thon finally rolled around. Since the competition was so close, the decision was made to recount the money over the weekend and inform the student body of the results on Monday.
Although the feedback to the changes so far has been somewhat impartial, students remain optimistic. Novacek said, “Everyone is kind of just going with the flow. They are just accepting what they can’t change and making the best out of it.”
So, will the changes succeed? Only time will tell. For now, the student body is bracing itself as it ventures into the (somewhat) unknown.