The boys’ and girls’ cross country teams ran around Algonquin picking up trash to help the environment and create an enriching experience for the team as a whole.
On Sept. 12, groups of eight cross country runners ran for 30 minutes around Algonquin and its surrounding streets to win a competition of who could collect the most trash; the winners received two bags of candy. Senior captain Karma Bebawy brought this idea to the team, and alongside senior captain Alex Shaw, they followed through with this environmental run.
The event was smooth sailing, and there weren’t many bumps in the road.
“The execution of the fundraiser went a lot smoother than I thought it would,” Shaw said. “There was no miscommunication on anything. When the day came, we got everything done and everyone was situated in their groups.”
Social studies teacher and cross country captain, Nathanial Uttaro has been hoping for team members to bring new ideas for integrating volunteering hours into their practices.
“I try to establish a tradition of service and helping others and thinking outside of the cross-country box,” Uttaro said, “This was the exact kind of thing that we wanted to do. We have never done anything like it, which is even cooler. But, it makes perfect sense because we run on trails and there is always litter and it’s very disheartening.”
Bebawy wants to make sure that this practice, although it was short, made an impact on the students.
“I just hope that now [students] get to see the trash and they are more aware because of this experience,” Bebawy said.
Alongside Bebawy, Uttaro also believes that this will have a positive influence on everyone as a whole.
“It’s important to establish that connection between team sports and the community,” Uttaro said. “I think it’s critical because sometimes we get self-centered in our own little world, and we forget about the impact that we can have on our community. It’s always good to be reminded of how important that is, and what they can do.”
Along with creating a lasting impact on students, this run is currently relevant to Algonquin.
“I think this is a great idea because it’s helping the environment, and because we did it around school it’s really helping the environment around our school,” Shaw said. “There was a lot of trash left around, the parking lot especially and just picking those up really just improves the overall environment of the area.”
There is hope for the future, and possibly continuing this tradition.
“I would love to do this again for the sole purpose of helping the environment, and knowing that we made some sort of impact,” Bebawy said.
