All participants will be teenagers or younger, and their primary intent is to help assure the future of the quality education offered at Warwood’s Corpus Christi School.
A total of 125 students between pre-K to eighth grade will run or walk during the school’s Race for Education on Oct. 23 at Garden Park. This year’s event will be the school’s fifth annual race, and the friendly competition has quickly become the most successful fundraiser for Corpus Christi. Last year a total of $40,000 was raised, and the goal this year is $50,000.
“Our students are the only participants in this event, and it is scheduled for a Friday, so it will take place during school hours and involve the entire Corpus Christi community,” said Angie Hill, the advancement director at Corpus Christi. “The students run the race, and their parents, family members, and friends all support them through sponsorships.
“Plus, it is an event that raises awareness about fitness, health, and wellness, and the students prepare during their physical education classes and with our school nurse,” she said. “Another aspect of this event is what it teaches our student body about how important it is to help raise funds for their school and how important the future of our school is.”
Once again the platinum sponsor for the Race for Education is the Fitzsimmons Law Firm, and Hill also has welcomed 32 additional sponsors for this year’s jaunt. Along with the race, a few other Olympic-style competitions have been added, and a parade will kick off the day’s lesson plan.
“The Fitzsimmons Law Firm has been the leading sponsor for this event from the beginning, and we are very grateful for their support,” Hill said. “And there have been several others who have stepped up, and we believe that’s because many people realize the importance of what is accomplished here at Corpus Christi every single day.”
The proceeds generated by the annual Race for Education are deposited into the school’s general fund for several reasons. While Hill and the Corpus Christi administration concentrate on long-term sustainability, the non-profit organization also wishes to keep its quality education as affordable as possible. Hill explained that the current tuition covers approximately 60 percent of the total allocated per student, so enrollment growth and events such as the Race for Education prove vital to meeting annual budgets as well as growing the school’s endowment fund.
Hill added that Corpus Christi also is in the process of raising funds for several capital improvement projects and for future student scholarships that would be merit based.
“The fact that the Race for Education has become the school’s biggest fundraiser says a lot about the Corpus Christi community,” Hill said. “We are focused on fundraising because that’s how that community will experience enrollment growth in the years to follow.
“This event supports our general fund, and that means it helps allow the administration and the faculty here to sustain the wonderful education that is made available to our student body,” she continued. “And this event also helps keep that quality education affordable, and that is very, very important to our mothers and fathers.”
In June 2016, Corpus Christi School will celebrate its 100th anniversary, and Hill explained that several events will be staged, and all alums will be invited to return to the grade school. The Sisters of St. Joseph founded Corpus Christi in 1916 with the goal of enriching a student’s life through a quality religious education while also providing a collaborative working environment, individualized classroom instruction, and excellent academic standards.
“We’re very excited for this anniversary, and we are planning several alumni events between now and the official date,” Hill said. “And that’s another reason why we are so focused on the future because it’s very important to everyone here to continue that 100-year-old tradition of offering a great education and ensuring growth for the future.
“It is truly refreshing to see our children receive the kind of education that is offered here by some of the most dedicated teachers. It’s important to them, and that’s why many of them have been here for more than 20 years,” she continued. “In fact, our principal, Mr. Dick Taylor, will soon celebrate his 40th year here at Corpus Christi, and there aren’t many schools in our area who can say that they have had that kind of dedication from the staff and faculty.”
Pride, Hill added, is an important aspect within the Corpus Christi community, as well.
“We are proud of the many outstanding academic, career, and life achievements of our graduates,” she said. “The focus on quality education has inspired the development of an aggressive curriculum that prepares our students to excel at the high school level and also offers them opportunities to advance more quickly among their peers.”
(Photos supplied by Corpus Christi School)
