Oldest school tradition takes place despite pandemic

COVID-19 didn’t stop students from participating in the School’s longest-standing tradition on Wednesday and Thursday. It may have been significantly modified and taken two days to complete, but the annual Cross-Country Run still occurred.
 
“The Cross-Country Run has always been considered a ‘rite of passage’ to the Thanksgiving long weekend, with both the Middle School and Upper School competing as houses and individually every year,” explains Jamie Inglis, Coordinator of Student Life.
 
To ensure the health and safety of students and to follow the School’s mitigation strategies, the race, customarily deemed mandatory, was optional for Upper School students. The only goal was to enlist three representatives from each house. The results from the run tabulate toward the clan standings for the Housser Cup, which is awarded annually to the best house/clan on Prize Day. A total of 109 Upper School students took part in the event, which ran Wednesday with staggered start times between 11:30 a.m. and 2:05 p.m. Unfortunately, a technical difficulty means we could not determine a winner.
 
Students ran in their class cohort in the Middle School, which meant all could participate throughout Thursday afternoon. The race was once again chip-timed, and the winner will be announced next week.
 
The Wallace Cup is the School’s oldest trophy. The inaugural race was held on a November day but was moved to Thanksgiving weekend. The present-day route takes runners through campus, but in the past included a stretch of Bathurst street (where years ago, some boys decided to hitchhike part of the way).
 
Fred Chesnut was the first winner of the Cross-Country Run in 1902 and was the first Andrean to have his name inscribed on the Wallace Cup. Approximately 80 boys have raised the Wallace Cup in victory over the years, with several repeat winners.
 
Again, this year, the focus expanded to include a charitable component. Students, faculty, and staff were encouraged to contribute to a food drive, which resulted in hundreds of pounds of food items and diapers for our local food pantries.
 
“This incredible amount of food proves the power of community; even a small individual donation can make a huge difference when everyone is committed to a common goal of helping others,” says Mr. Inglis.
 
A hearty thank-you to the entire community and congratulations to the Middle and Upper School Community Service Councils for their efforts.
 
The Middle School also hosted the Terry Fox Run on Monday. As a community, they raised $2,000 through their “loose change for Terry” campaign. The money goes to the Terry Fox Foundation, which is dedicated to cancer research in the name of Canadian hero, Terry Fox.
 
This was quite a week of giving and sharing at St. Andrew’s. Happy Thanksgiving!
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