St. Mary’s kicks off virtual Diamond Dash

♦ The fundraiser challenges the community to get active and share their results.

From now until Nov. 14, St. Mary’s Catholic School will be hosting a virtual 7.5K to raise money and celebrate the 75th anniversary of the school’s founding.

“You can walk, run, swim, bike or paddle to reach the 7.5 kilometers,” Director of Admissions and Advancement Christa Jackson said. “We just want to see people moving for St. Mary’s.”

To kick off the event, the preschool class ran across a chalk starting line Wednesday morning. On Thursday, the school held Mass, led by the eighth grade class, who paid tribute to the men and women who founded the school. Other classes were able to watch on the smartboards in their classrooms.

Following the Mass, Father Mike Metz set his own challenge to commemorate the anniversary: make 75 3-point shots in 10 minutes. At the end of it, he had done 67.

The race can take as long as a person needs and they don’t have to log their time either, according to PTO president Karen Smith. Once a person finishes the virtual race, they post a picture and tag St. Mary’s on either Facebook or Instagram.

Every year, St. Mary’s hosts a live auction in the Spring and Fall to raise money for the school, Smith said. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, they’ve had to adjust their fundraising efforts for the year.

Smith, other PTO members and staff will be placing posters around the county with QR codes for people to scan if they’re interested in participating.

Participants can register at the Google link found on the school’s social media pages. Registration is $ 26.50 for students, $30.50 for alumni and $35.50 for anyone else who wishes to join. Anyone who joins before Oct. 2 will be guaranteed a race-themed T-shirt.

The race weeks also will have different themes and challenges. There will be one week with a challenge specifically for alumni. Other weeks will feature local nonprofits, such as TRED, and their own challenges for the participants.

On Nov. 14, the race finale will take place at the school at 401 E. Seventh St. A finish line banner will be featured for people to take pictures with and a silent auction will also take place.

Contributed Other St. Mary’s classes watch Mass on the smartboard in their classrooms, while the eighth grade class participated in person Thursday morning.

Olivia Morley Father Mike Metz at St. Mary’s Catholic School makes a 3-point shot as part of his challenge to complete 75 in 10 minutes. By the time the timer went off, he had made 67 shots.

Contributed The St. Mary’s preschool class kicks off the Diamond Dash on Wednesday morning by crossing the chalk start line.