The Mehlville-Oakville Foundation welcomed more than 1,000 Mehlville School District students, staff and community members to its 22nd annual Walk-Run event Saturday, Oct. 15, at Jefferson Barracks Park.

This year’s event raised nearly $6,000 for the foundation, which will use the money to directly benefit the district’s schools by funding school-based programs, teacher mini-grants and tutoring for students. 

“I want to thank all of the individuals who took the time to coordinate the activity at their school. This event couldn’t be successful without a great group of volunteers at every level,” Walk-Run Co-Chair Sandy Applegate stated in a district news release.

The event began with a 5-K race that showcased the speed of more than 40 runners. Two Mehlville School District teachers recorded the top times for men and women in any age category. Wohlwend Elementary teacher Renato Durante completed his 5-K with a time of 22:50 while Oakville Elementary School teacher Jill Huelsman recorded a race time of 23:05.

After the awards ceremony for the 5-K, students, staff and families took part in this year’s Spirit Competition.

Cheerleaders from Mehlville High and Oakville High opened the contest by combining their talents to perform a special cheer for the Mehlville School District.

The elementary and middle schools then had an opportunity to display their school spirit — and creativity — for the competition’s judges. While the decision was tough, Rogers Elementary and Oakville Middle were declared the winners of the Spirit Competition. Rogers Elementary also received an award, along with Bernard Middle, for having the most participation at the Walk-Run this year.

“It is always great to see the enthusiasm and creativity put into the spirit competition by the students and staff,” Walk-Run Co-Chair Marea Kluth-Hoppe stated in the release. “The Mehlville-Oakville Foundation is pleased and thankful that the support of families and staff and our corporate sponsors can be used to benefit the educational process of the students.”

The winning design for this year’s Walk-Run t-shirts was submitted by Mehlville High School freshman Teo Repesa, who created the design as an eighth grader at Bernard Middle School.