By JI Reporter Bella Hobbs

  Principal Susie Sullivan raised the Walk-A-Thon (WAT) stakes at collection three and sent students scrambling to pick up the slack after bringing back an old WAT tradition, leaving many wondering why.

 For years, the class that collected the most money depending on their class size would get the opportunity to choose one of their Field Day colors as well as the order in which they walk out in Baxter Arena. This tradition was originally withdrawn two years ago from the collection of WAT prizes because it evidently sparked too much opposition between classes. “We changed it to lessen the competition, to make September through Color Block a little bit less crazy,” Student Board Co-Moderator Ms. Jessica Abel said. Administrators soon found out that the tie to Field Day is one of the biggest motivators at Marian.  

The revival of the tradition was a shock to the students and while the Senior Class Officers were surprised, they had a feeling something big was going bound to happen. Abel said, “Student Board definitely pushed for her to tie it back together. Because as your peers, they felt like it was the only way to get [students] motivated,” she continues, “We came up with a pretty decent compromise: It’s linked, but not until Color Block so we hope that will keep some of the craziness out.”

Although to many, the announcement was exciting and a huge motivator, to some it didn’t mean much. Transfer student sophomore Claire Newton, who has yet to experience her first Field Day said, “When Mrs. Sullivan made the announcement, I could tell it was something big by the reaction of the other girls in my homeroom, but I didn’t really know that Field Day was as important as it is.”

Freshman Alivia Kuhn said, “I didn’t care because picking a class color for one specific event isn’t important to me. It’s just a color and I knew the freshmen weren’t going to win it anyway.”

While Walk-A-Thon is an event many look forward to, the reintroduction of this tradition that directly connects it to Field Day is sure to inspire greater efforts in fundraising and school spirit.