A climbing wall fundraiser
An event which will see people mapping out a route during a race around Geraldine will help raise money for a refurbishment of the Geraldine High School gymnasium.
The school’s PTA has organised the Geraldine Rogaine Autumn Muster (Gram) this Sunday, and proceeds from the event will go towards a climbing wall for the gym.
Principal Simon Coleman said the school’s roll had seen ‘‘phenomenal’’ growth, from about 525 students a couple of years ago to 580 this year.
‘‘We’re probably going to hit 600 next year which is pretty much our cap.’’
The gymnasium had not had any work done on it in a long time, and it needed to be brought up to standard to meet the needs of the students, he said. The school ran three outdoor education classes, and the wall would supplement the class’ high ropes course, he said.
Coleman hoped work would begin on the gym later this year. He believed it would cost between $700,000 and $1 million, the cost of which would come out of the school’s five year property plan budget.
‘‘It’s already been budgeted for, and will be done in stages.’’
PTA president Jane Stack said said this was the fifth year the PTA had hosted the event. The money raised during both the 2017 and 2018 events would go towards building a climbing wall.
The gym did not currently have one, she said.
About 340 people had signed up online, in teams of two to five people, over the past couple of months.
Stack said the cost to enter this year was a little bit higher than last year because one competitor from each team would be wearing an electronic Navlight wrist band. The band would enable wearers to ‘‘punch in’’ at sites, and would speed up the results, as in the past they were all calculated by hand.
Last year the event raised $14,000 and Stack hoped it would raise a similar amount this year.