Frantically scraping up any spare change that you have, begging your parents to donate more money, and refreshing the dsha.info/dash-a-thon page for hours on end are all traits that are tied to Dash-A-Thon: possibly the most popular event of the school year. The fundraising for weeks that allows for everyone to work together for different incentives is an excitement for every Dasher, which all leads up to the around seven mile walk at the end of it all. 

This event has been a tradition at DSHA for years, and requires lots of tedious planning from the TSC. However, for many, what starts as a fun-filled event turns into a lengthy, exhausting walk with repetitive stations and the constant question:“How much longer do we have?” 

As the Dasher Events Committee, all four of our writers went out to interview several members of our community in order to get the general consensus to answer the question: Should Dash-A-Thon be updated? 

Clare Foy from the class of 2026 shared her thoughts on Dash-A-Thon by expressing, “I thought it was a super fun experience after hearing many good things about it from upperclasswomen. It definitely exceeded my expectations. Also, trying to raise money brought us closer as a class, having the seniors encourage us on our walk with music and paint was very entertaining and exciting. I’m glad we could finally be apart of it and do something fun while raising money for the school!” 

Being an incoming freshman, Dash-A-Thon is perceived as a collaborative, exciting day. As years go on, students may tend to feel that this event has become repetitive and old news, but Dash-A-Thon is a perfect first impression on the uplifting and positive environment of DSHA. However, in their second year at DSHA, Dash-A-Thon becomes a totally different event the second time and definitely can turn opinions more negative. 

“I definitely like how fun it is and how exciting it is to go out with your friends and get all messy and crazy, and I feel like it is definitely a good example of school spirit,” says Eliana Melendes, a sophomore. “I guess running Cross Country is a little different because it feels a lot more rushed and you move through the stations very fast. Sometimes, I wish I could walk but I feel like it goes a lot faster running.” It is true that this seems to be the case with most Cross Country runners; their run goes much quicker but they still get the element of fun while running with friends and teammates. 

Even so, for the sophomores that did not run it, none of them seemed to be ecstatic about Dash-A-Thon the second time around. “I personally could do without the actual walking event,” Helen Pollock states. “And then I just don’t like walking, ever. I feel like we could definitely keep the fundraiser because it goes to a really good cause and it benefits everyone at the school, and the incentives are good. I just think we should do the fundraiser and have a day off.”

“I actually kind of like Dash-A-Thon because I love seeing the seniors on the walk,” Sophia Quinn, a sophomore, chimes in. “It made me feel special because they knew who I was and they would, like, throw paint on me, so it made me feel super validated. But I definitely understand why you wouldn’t like it.” 

“My freshman year some senior lathered her entire hand with paint and smacked me so hard in the back.” Helen says, laughing. “It was not fun.” 

Up another grade to the juniors, we found that the Class of 2024 was pretty enthused about Dash-A-Thon, but were open to some changes. 

“I like Dash-A-Thon,” junior Emily Fricker says, “‘cause then I get a day off of school which is amazing. But also it is a nice community building activity which gets everyone involved and raises the spirits of the school. But I do think we should have more candy on the route, and water. And different stations. Maybe some like, little challenges, activities, like a little obstacle course.” 

“Bingo!” Junior Julia Mansfield chips in. “Or water guns.” 

“We should have the teachers along the route throwing water balloons.” Genevieve Baynes adds. “So many options.” 

Finally, moving on to the seniors, there was a lot of positivity from the class. “Honestly, let the 7 mile walk keep going.” Eva-Marie Moss, one of DSHA’s co-pennies and a senior, is still passionate about Dash-A-Thon to her senior year. “I think that it’s a great tradition and would hate to see it go away. It builds friendships and is an exciting way to take a break in the school week.” 

“Though the walk can be considered lengthy, I feel these traditions build up our identity as a school.” Janie Retzer, another senior, adds in. “I love the tradition as the fundraiser unites our school to work for a common goal: movie day.” 

Looking at Dash-A-Thon through the lens of a current student at DSHA is very different then looking at it from a teacher’s perspective, and it was clear to see that it was the case when interviewing Ms. Hahn, a teacher at DSHA. Although it is only her first year, it is clear that she has some opinions on what we could be doing differently as a community to better improve Dash-A-Thon. She found it memorable because of “How excited the students were about going on a really long walk. I mean, when you think about it, like, the energy in the air that day was just incredible compared to what we were actually doing.” 

“I think that each station should have a better way to celebrate.” Ms. Hahn continues. “The walk I don’t have an exact answer yet, but [a] color run [is] a fun idea. I’m sure that there’s other things we could do, too, but I heard that in the past there used to be more obstacles instead of celebrations, so you have to do tens of jumping jacks to get through, or you have to do this crazy hopscotch to get through. And I thought that was interesting, how it’s evolved to what I witnessed instead of what it used to be. So maybe it can keep evolving and change into something even more fun.” 

It is extremely interesting to hear the idea of Dash-A-Thon slowly devolving through the years, but this is something that we can see all throughout DSHA, and schools throughout the country. Interest and excitement in several different events, such as coordinating retreats and participating in art opportunities such as the musical, has fallen, and shows a dullness that has spread throughout the population of today’s teenagers. Dash-A-Thon is a prime example of the event faltering throughout the years, and ideas for the walk are becoming more mundane. 

However, at the end of the day, no matter how “dull” Dash-A-Thon has become, we can see that the one thing holding it together: DSHA’s school spirit. Excitement towards planning said events may have been faltering throughout the years, but we are able to see, even though the walk might be a pain, the excitement, laughter, and screaming is what keeps it a favorite Dasher tradition.