NEWS Walnut Valley Unified School District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 880 S. Lemon Avenue
March 7, 2011 Walnut, CA 91789
Contact:
Kelli Gile, Office of Community Resources (909) 595-1261 ext. 31204
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Everyone Wins at Walnut Valley Fundraiser
Diamond Bar, CA— The Walnut Valley Educational Foundation hosted the 2nd annual 5K Walk/Run and 1K Fun Run on Sunday, March 6.
And every participant – toddlers, students, parents, staff, community members, and local officials– helped Walnut Valley, one step at a time, to raise funds needed to support programs in the Walnut Valley Unified School District. This year, over 1850 runners (and walkers) registered to participate.
Pre-event activities were held on Saturday, March 5th at Walnut High School, as participants could register, pick up their numbered race bibs, t-shirts, goody bags, enjoy a pasta dinner and musical Student Showcase featuring Walnut Valley students, of course! Many thanks to Principal Jeff Jordan and Instructional Dean Reuben Jones who organized this wonderful first day of our Walnut Weekend fundraiser.
On Sunday’s race day at Diamond Bar High, everyone stood at attention as Shayleen Ojeda sang the National Anthem from high atop the stadium bleachers. The City of Diamond Bar Mayor Steve Tye welcomed participants to the event.
Then it was time to race! The 1K Fun Run that included over 200 students began their event on the upper baseball field. It may have been a shorter race, but these participants were serious competitors. As the first group entered the stadium, they flew down the track at full speed.
Every participant was rewarded at the finish line with a shiny medal.
As the 5K Walk/Run was about to start, the track filled with participants ready to begin their 3.1 mile trek on a marked course around the school on local streets.
For safety reasons, the 5K event was divided into four starting groups: competitive runners, student athletes, parents with children and strollers, and the final “snail” group who just wanted to walk the course at their own pace.
Runners passed several stations during the 5K for water breaks. At the Castle Rock Elementary station, Principal Jackie Brown stood out front and cheered “You’re doing great!” as groups passed by the school.
Congratulations to the top 3 finishers in the Men’s 5K Category: For the 2nd year, Diamond Bar High junior James McCreary took the 1st Place Award with a finish of 16:58. Walnut High senior Scott Margio won 2nd Place with a 17:52 finish, and Walnut High junior Joshua Gonzalez took the 3rd Place medal with an 18:08 finish.
Our top 3 finishers in the Women’s 5K were Suzanne Middle School 8th grader Rachel Shapiro and Collegewood Elementary School sisters, Emma and Chloe Arriaga. Great job!
Walnut Valley Schools also competed to earn coveted Spirit Cups for participation at elementary, middle and high school levels. Teachers challenged each other to see who could get the most registrants.
Some schools encouraged participation with incentives for participation and donation goals. Evergreen Elementary Principal Dr. Don Trimmer pledged a silly string contest if 150 students signed up for the event.
Westhoff Elementary Principal Denise Rendon will join students for a “Silly String Extravaganza” on Friday, March 11 for reaching their school’s participation goal.
After the 5K race, two Vejar Elementary students sipping on cool cups of water said they were proud of their accomplishment.
“We wanted a medal, said 4th grader Zachary Moscoso. “We did it before and it was fun!”
His friend Johathon Kamanta, also a Vejar 4th grader, carried a red leaf he found on the course for luck.
After the race, participants enjoyed a light breakfast served in the gymnasium, provided by the WVUSD Food Services Department and organized by Director Liz Brown-Smith.
This event wouldn’t have been possible without the over 200 volunteers, including Walnut Valley staff, parents, and students from Diamond Bar and Walnut High School service clubs.
The Relay Committee was headed up by Walnut Elementary Principal Janet Green, South Pointe Assistant Principal Jean Chung, Coordinator of Special Education Jean Hicks, Suzanne Middle School teacher Ronnie Hee, BTSA Secretary Brandi Chapman, Director of Purchasing Suzanne Beach, and Diamond Bar High Instructional Dean Gabriel Aguilar who once again took the microphone as the official starter of each heat on race day.
Last year’s event raised over $60,000, thanks to sponsors, registrations, and donations. Proceeds from this year’s event, will again be divided among our schools. A committee at each site, with parent, teacher, classified, and administrative representation, distributed these “unrestricted” funds. Proceeds funded a wide range of supplies and equipment for our schools – ranging from technology upgrades and equipment to busing to sports events to teacher grants for innovative programs.
Check out the link for more images from Sunday's 5K Run!