On Saturday, February 21st , the Palos Verdes Community came together and participated in the Remember the Tritons walk (Formerly known as Brian’s walk). The walk is a memorial walk commemorating all of the Sea Kings that have passed away during the past years, where as in years past it was only dedicated to Brian Booth. The walk was orchestrated by our school’s very own Be the Change Leadership class, which is run by Mrs. Kostrensich. “ We decided to change the walk this year because we wanted to honor every student that we have lost,” said Mrs. Kostrensich, “ and Be the Change has worked very hard to put on this event for a great cause and we are so happy to have the community be a part of this.” All of the class’s participants gathered at school early in the morning to help set up the booths, registration area, and the coffee and doughnuts station. In addition, there was work done on advertising along with countless hours that were put in before hand creating decorations to place around the school with inspiring words.
Soon after registration had started, all the participants filed into the stadium to listen to a commemoration speech from Be The Change Presidents, and the national anthem sung by Kassedy Muller. After the speech everyone participated in the walk’s kickoff countdown, and the walk began.
Participants started their trek around the school by passing through an encouraging “ tunnel of cheer”, lined with our very own cheer and song teams in order to motivate the participants for the cause. The motivation didn’t stop there as Sea King Kristina Salas mentions,“I loved how everywhere you looked when you were walking, you saw inspiration. You would either see an inspirational quote written out on the sidewalk or a poster encouraging you to keep on going.” As participants finished their walk they headed back to the grass area where they were greeted by a Cookie Sandwich Ice Cream truck, live music, and a fun family fair. The fair and its many booths were a great success, as the wide variety of activities ensured there was something for everyone to do. “I loved how every single booth was inviting you to come play their games” said Sophomore Claudia Crivello, “ One of my favorites was the Las Nina’s cookie decorating station. The cookie were delicious!”.
The event was really a community event, as many residents from around the the peninsula contributed to the walk. “I loved coming to see all of the happy faces of the students of Palos Verdes High School.” said Adela Montoya, a Miraleste parent, “You could tell how much of a family everyone is with how much work and dedication they put into this walk” she added. Even some Sea King alumni came and supported the event. “I remember that the year after I left [PV], they started Brian’s walk. And now it has grown into so much more than just a walk. I couldn’t be more proud.” said alumni, Megan Magana.
In the end, the event with over 300 participants ended up raising over $15,000 for the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Center, funds that will go into their research and help aid them in their fight against cancer.
