Terry Fox Run stirs emotions at Maple High School

yorkregion.com
Sept. 12, 2014
By Adam Martin-Robbins

For the first time in many, many years, Maple High School students took part in what has become something of an autumn tradition for thousands of kids across the country.

Close to 400 students - and a handful of teachers - gathered on the oval track behind the school Friday morning to take part in the Terry Fox Run.

School council president Michelle Tran said a lot of incoming Grade 9 students told her during orientation day there are a lot of events at elementary schools that they’d like to see carried through to high school.

Tran remembered taking part in the Terry Fox Run every year as an elementary school student, but it’s been about a decade since the event was held at Maple High.

When she went to do some research online about the run, Tran came across a posting on a Marathon of Hope website that inspired her.

“I recognized my elementary school. They had put their fundraising goal onto the site and their goal (that year) was $4,500,” said the Grade 12 student. “I was so amazed. ...I was like, ‘Wow, my school raised $4,500 and it was an 800-student school.’ So, I thought it would be great to run this in my high school because this is my last year.”

At Maple High they set a more modest fundraising goal of $1,000.

To encourage students to take part, the class that raised the most money wins a prize and if the overall target is met, members of the school council and administration pledged to do something “embarrassing", but tasteful.

Friday morning, they were still trying to decide exactly what it would be, but they were leaning toward coming to school dressed in tutus and doing pirouettes on demand, school council vice-president Ruge Asohan said.

Grade 12 student Madiha Chatha has a very personal reason for raising awareness and helping to raise funds for cancer research so she didn’t need much encouragement to take part.

“My cousin, he has cancer, so I’m a really strong supporter,” she said while lapping the track.

While schools hold their runs on different days, the main event is being held Sunday, Sept. 14 with millions of people in communities across the country taking part.

There is a run taking place at Boyd Conservation Area in Woodbridge (off Islington Ave., south of Rutherford Rd.) from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Last year, millions of Ontarians took part in the Terry Fox Run raising about $12.5 million.