By J1 reporter Sofy Herrera

“Do I wear a collared shirt?” That is the question Mr. Mark Koesters asks himself on the day of Walk-A-Thon (WAT). “On second thought,” he said, “tennis shoes, a comfy shirt, jeans and a hat make the perfect outfit.”

This is what the teacher and former Student Board moderator, Koesters, sports on the clear and sunny morning of Sept. 30. The day has finally arrived.

WAT has changed since its beginning and so has Koesters’ view of it over the past 32 years. Although the basic goal of making money to support the school has stayed the same, Koesters said, “The routes, the prizes and the amounts raised would be the biggest changes I’ve seen.”

As the years have passed, the amounts raised have exponentially grown and the prizes have decreased. Now, the prizes are more Field Day related according to the 2004 Marian yearbook.

Imagine watching an entire school of girls go from trying to raise $35,000 collectively, to a single class trying to raise that amount. Now, their ambitions are tied to Field Day. This is one of the many changes Koesters has witnessed over the years.

“WAT is great. You get exercise and responsibility. It’s a lot less stressful without being moderator.” Koesters said. The moderators put in endless hours of work on top of the stress, and Koesters was glad to give up the role after four long and dutiful years.

The teachers’ job of walking their assigned route seems not to have put as much pressure on the Latin teacher, who’s favorite extracurricular activity is walking. “I would feel the pressure of the class leaders and I was running around making sure everything was done,” Koesters said.

It came as a shock to many when Koesters said that his desired walking route would be the “One mile route! Because do you know what I’m going to do when I get home…? Go for a walk!”

From moderator to teacher, Koesters has experienced changes in many ways. Although WAT prizes, routes and amounts raised has changed, the same positive attitude and enthusiastic leaders have stuck around…some even for 32 years.