Thursday, April 12, 2018

25 YEARS AND RUNNING

By GABRIELLA MARKGJONAJ

Washingtonville is known to come together as a community on various occasions.  This past weekend was no exception as the 25th anniversary of the Scholarship Run took place.  The chilly, wet weather did not scare runners away as they raced for the coveted medals.  

On Saturday morning, the Scholarship Run committee got to the high school bright and early at 6 am to set up and get organized for the event.  At approximately 9 am, people throughout the district started piling into the large cafeteria to register and walk around to see the many booths from local businesses.   

GABRIELLA MARKGJONAJ FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY
The Scholarship Run  began taking place 25 years ago to help raise money for senior students paying for their upcoming college expenses and it has continued to grow each year.   The 5k run had an entry fee for runners and walkers to raise the money needed to provide the scholarships.  Following the race was the second annual pasta luncheon sponsored by Student Coalition.

It was no easy task pulling this event off.  Scholarship Run committee member, Lisa Angelillo, stressed the importance of planning ahead. As a group they have been “meeting since October monthly and as the run got closer, at the end of February, we began meeting weekly.”  One of the more exciting tasks completed at these meetings included picking t-shirt designs made by the students of WHS. A contest is held each year where students enter original artwork that may be chosen to be displayed on the official race shirt.   This year they decided to use the original design on a silver shirt representing the 25th anniversary. 

Right after the 5k ended, the kids race began which was for toddlers up to 5th graders.  The younger kids ran 50 meters and the older kids ran a full lap.  The families of the young Wizards were standing on the sidelines cheering them on, giving them a little sneak peek of what being a Wizard athlete is like.  They received their medals and joined everybody else in the school’s gym for the awards ceremony. 

John Shepard receiving his plaque 
The award ceremony started by honoring, John Shepard, the man credited with starting the Scholarship Run 25 years ago.  They presented him with a plaque as the crowd cheered for him.  Then they went on to name the winners.  

Thomas Garrison was the first to complete the race with many of his teammates not far behind him.  He expressed his joy by saying, “It was amazing to win the race, and it was great to have my teammates running by my side.”  Liam Gildea came in second and Shane Marchese close behind in third.  Finally, the awards went on to the more specific age groups spanning from 12 years old up to the 80 plus category!  

The Scholarship Run is a tradition for many families and hopefully will be for years to come.  Be sure to look out next year and join the fun event and support your senior Wizards!  All ages are welcome and encouraged.

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