By J1 Reporter Ashley Keenan

Out of the many traditions at Marian, one of the most beneficial to students is Walk-A-Thon (WAT). WAT raises money for tuition assistance so that many girls can experience Marian and all the other traditions there are. 

One way that helps raise money for WAT is that each class has a bake sale, where girls make baked goods and other homemade items, like earrings to sell to their classmates and the staff. 

Creating earrings for their class’s bake sale can demonstrate girls’ creativity and talent. Many girls purchase the earrings because they are inexpensive, trendy, and it is helping out their fellow peers. 

Sophomore Ella Thibodeau was one of the girls who made earrings to help raise money for the sophomore bake sale. She said she liked the earrings made by her older peers at Marian who made them in prior years. Thibodeau explained that the earrings were easy to make and the materials were very accessible. “I watched one TikTok and figured it out, ” Thibodeau said. “I used wire, beads, earring hooks and pliers from Michael’s,” Thibodeau said.  She made more than 40 pairs of earrings and sold them for $5 each.  She estimates that 25 pairs were purchased on Sept. 8. She estimates that she probably spent $115 on supplies, but said that she thinks the donations were worth it and made a profit. 

Thibodeau’s earrings and all the other earrings from other classes contributed to helping raise $150,093 to help with tuition assistance which was 140% of the school goal.