Garden School Students Head Outdoors For Annual Walkathon

JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS — Thursday wasn't just any day for students at the Garden School, a small, independent K-12 school in Jackson Heights.

It was the PTA's annual Walkathon, one of the few times that the entire student body comes together as a community to help support their school.

More than 200 students wearing matching blue Garden School t-shirts walked along 34th Avenue that morning to raise money for their school. Each year, the fundraiser brings in about $10,000 to $15,000 to support the school, according to PTA President Nicole Adams.

"It's a great school spirit builder," Garden School headmaster Richard Marotta said. "It becomes a big Garden School family celebration."

The Walkathon started in the mid-1990s and was modeled off the Revlon Walk/Run, according to former PTA President Jean Kinn, who helped organize the first-ever event.

Energy levels were high on Thursday as students headed to an all-school, family-style luncheon — a Walkathon first, according to Marotta. He sees the Walkathon festivities as a chance to unite the entire student body, which comes from all corners of New York City.

In past years, the school has held a carnival during the afternoon following the Walkathon. But this year the carnival site, Rory Staunton Field, is under construction, so kids headed back to class.

Some kids were already in the classroom — parents have to pay $40 for their child to be able to participate in the Walkathon, and not all parents do. Students whose parents didn't donate stay at school during the Walkathon and meet with teachers, though Marotta said they can still participate in the post-walk activities.

The Walkathon is one of several large fundraisers the Garden School holds each year. Tuition costs just over $19,000, but the school has a history of financial struggles. It's not easy being a small, independent school, said Adams, the PTA president.

"I do this because I want to help our community," Adams said. "The children love it."

Marotta on Thursday said he was optimistic, though, about the school's current state. He rattled off the names of colleges that Garden School seniors would be attending in the fall.

"The school is thriving," he said.