Westbrook School’s Walk-a-thon is an annual event that has been happening for over 60 years.
This year, the event is taking place on Thursday, September 29, the day before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Assistant Principal, Hana Hooper, says, “Westbrook School was founded in 1953 and we can't find the generation who knows exactly the start date, but we have confirmation of parents or grandparents that participated over 60 years ago.” Only one year has been missed over that lengthy span and that was due to the pandemic.
The school population always enjoys the opportunity to go outdoors for the walk-a-thon and it is a befitting opportunity to recognize the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation that follows the day after the walk-a-thon on September 30. Hooper says, “We will be starting the day with a land acknowledgment, and getting out and onto the land is what the kids love to do being out in Westbrook. It is also a way for us to recognize as we will be wearing our orange shirts in recognition of the truth of Canada’s past. But also, as a way to reconcile, we are taking time to notice how good we feel when we’re out with nature and being one with nature and being good stewards of the land.”
Westbrook is a small country school that is in the Rocky View Schools district. Northwest of Cochrane, the rural local predicts the need to fundraise in order to provide certain events and means of transportation to them for the students. That is the motivation for the student population to collect pledges and complete the walk which sees about 161 students from K to 8, walk seven to 12 kilometres. In past years they have raised close to $20,000.
Hooper says, “It's just a community event to bring us all together and kick start the year and be one with each other and raise some funds along the way too.”