Cate School Students Hit the Road for Public Service

March 30, 2011 - PRLog -- After a week of worrisome weather, Sunday March 27 dawned relatively dry for Cate School's annual Walkathon/Bikeathon supporting the 100-year old boarding school's well established Public Service Program. Two hundred and thirty-five Cate students, faculty, staff, and alumni made their way from the Carpinteria hilltop campus known as "the Mesa" to East Beach in Santa Barbara, checking in with parent volunteers at various points along the way.

Participants walked, ran, scootered, bicycled, and even unicycled the 13-mile course. Will Holmes M.A., Cate's Director of Public Service, noted that everyone who took part had been pledged for their efforts – with a few humorous twists. "Some people were pledged to wear Cate's color, blue, and say 'Go Rams' at the finish line," he said. "I witnessed one student reciting the Gettysburg Address from memory to honor the pledge of her history teacher!"

Cate student Public Service Heads are tabulating the results and collecting pledges.  Mr. Holmes estimates the event raised about $6,000, saying: "Every year the money that is raised from this community event funds next year's public service activities at Cate School. This year's Walkathon/Bikeathon will enable us to continue a forty-one year tradition of helping others in our immediate area and around the world." Citing Cate students' participation in the international Roundsquare  and Los Niños service learning organizations as well as their weekly visits to local schools, foster homes, and shelters and environmental volunteer groups, Mr. Holmes reflects on the school's Walkathon/Bikeathon as yet another manifestation of the school motto, Servons.

"'Let us Serve," he translates.  "That pretty much sums it up."

Photograph: Cate students line up at school to begin the annual Walkathon/Bikeathon. Left to right:  Winter Abbott '11 of Vashon Island, WA; Legos Gallegos '11 of 29 Palms and Imperial Beach, CA; Jessie Lau '11 of Hong Kong, China, Faith Donaldson '12 of Bonita, CA and Fallbrook, NJ; Ellie Opdahl '11 of Tokyo, Japan.


Founded in 1910 by Curtis Wolsey Cate, Cate School is an independent, co-ed, four-year residential college preparatory school located in Carpinteria, California. Two-hundred and sixty-five students (220 boarding and 45 day) represent 20 states and 13 foreign nations. Learn more about Cate School by visiting www.cate.org.

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Founded in 1910, Cate School is a grade 9-12, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school in Carpinteria, California.