If you were to ask St. Mary School Swormville students what their favorite day of the school year is , one of their most likely answers would be "Marathon Day"!
Organized by the school's Home School Association (HSA) and completely run by parent volunteers, the Sister Sheila Memorial Marathon is a fun fitness activity for all students at St. Mary's, from the littlest 3, 4 & 5 year olds in the Montessori Pre-K classroom, on up through the 8th grade students. All students who participate try and reach for their personal best distance, or highest number of "laps" around the marathon course, which stretches through the back parking lots of St. Mary School, past the playground, and back towards Transit Rd. Post marathon, students are able to enjoy some water and fresh fruit to re-hydrate and relax for a moment before returning to class for the day.
Each grade runs or walks together, and students are given a check mark on a tag they wear for each lap completed - many of them get quite competitive for who in their grade earns the most laps! But the laps are just for fun, as donations are no longer collected per lap - each student collects flat rate donations from friends & family prior to Marathon Day. This is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the St. Mary School HSA, with proceeds helping to fund the activities & events they host throughout the school year. Each student has a goal of raising $30, and each class that raises 100% or more of its total class goal receives a dress-down day, so there is incentive for the students to try to get as many donations as they can.
Lauren Suttell, a St. Mary School parent to 3 children, a St. Mary's alum, and current HSA president had this to say about the Marathon:
"So many fundraisers are “kid-free” and so this event is such a fun way for the kids to come together and actively participate in growing and showing support for the place they call home. They know it’s about raising money to help their school, they take pride in their performance, and even though we don’t collect per-lap pledges anymore, some of them are still ultra competitive about it!"
Sr. Sheila Anne Burke, OSF, whom the Marathon is now named in memory of, was the beloved principal at St. Mary School for many years. She died suddenly in June of 2014, but was a selfless servant and friend who dedicated her life to Catholic education and generations of students at St. Mary's School.
Lauren Suttell remembers that Sr. Sheila's personal participation in the marathon encouraged others to raise money as well:
"Sr. Sheila would participate too, persuasively collecting pledges from parents at the opening HSA meeting each year. The more we ran, the more we raised! One year I ran so many laps I gave myself the hiccups for the whole rest of the day."
This year's marathon, held on Oct. 2nd, raised over $5,000 for the St. Mary School HSA! The HSA would like to thank all of the parent volunteers, student participants, and of course the generous donors whose contributions help make this event a success year after year. Even some alumni parents continue to help out, including Mr. Dan Burger, our expert volunteer DJ who keeps the students motivated with some great tunes!
Marathon chairperson & SMS parent, Angel Ferrelli sums up Marathon Day like this:
"It warms my heart to see how proud the kids are of themselves by raising money for their school. It has been a joy to serve our St Mary’s community."
Click here to see photos from the 2024 Sr. Sheila Memorial Marathon.
Click here to see some of the sweet thank you cards our 4th graders made for the HSA.
Enjoy the below photos of Sr. Sheila Ann Burke form our archives.
