Throughout two weeks in October, the National Honor Society (NHS), along with Student Council, held their first-ever “Chalk the Walk” fundraiser. Starting on October 12, the event was held during Raider Period for two days, with an additional round of chalking occurring on October 21 and 22. Each individual, group, club, or organization is able to spend from $5 to $20 for a portion of or an entire  square and is given the opportunity to draw any school appropriate image on it.

NHS President and senior Angelina Aviles helped organize the event. 

“The purpose of ‘Chalk the Walk’ was just to raise money for Mini-THON that will later be donated to Four Diamonds,” she said. 

Mini-THON is a branch organization of THON, which is a charity event that raises money for Four Diamonds. This is an organization that is dedicated to helping families whose child is battling cancer.

The idea of “Chalk the Walk” originated from a previous event held in Bellefonte that members of NHS hoped to replicate with the help from Student Council. The fundraiser was an idea that not only helped raise money for pediatric cancer, but also allowed students to express themselves in an artistic manner.

Mini-THON Senior Chair Tori Richert expressed, “This fundraiser allows people to show the artistic side of their personality while raising money for kids that deserve it.”

The fundraiser was a success, with ten full squares purchased. This has mainly come from clubs within the school such as the Spanish and National Honor Societies, but there have also been a few of individual purchases.

“It has been going well. I’m sure we could get more students involved though if they wished to participate. I’d say at least 10 or so blocks have been decorated already but there are more to come later this week,” Angelina said. 

The event has even garnered local publicity from WTAJ. On October 13, WTAJ had a reporter interview both Angelina and Tori about the fundraiser, which appeared on the 10 o’clock news. Many hoped that this added publicity inspired more people to purchase squares. 

“Our Mini-Thon Student Council team works hard every year to raise funds for this worthy cause,” NHS advisor and AP Psychology and history teacher Mrs. Chris Morris said.