Aquinas Academy students walk, run to raise money for new school bus

Students in grades K-12 recently gathered in North Park for the semiannual Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh walk-a-thon fundraiser.

Each year, the private Catholic institution picks a fundraiser to help support a certain initiative at the school in Hampton.

“Some years we’ve done a gala for our fundraiser. Other years, we’ve done different things. We try to rotate and mix it up. However, the kids just really enjoy this walk-a-thon, and the weather actually cooperated this year,” said Tyler Deschamps, head of school at Aquinas Academy.

Deschamps said the school was able to reach its financial goal of $75,000 for the bus, which is needed to transport students to and from sporting events, field trips and other activities.

The school’s leadership team declined to discuss the details of the purchase.

Friends, families and businesses supported the school through financial pledges and donations to help reach the goal.

“This was a huge success today. We have so much support from the families here at Aquinas, and we definitely needed the new bus. I’m just really pleased with everything,” Deschamps said.

Deschamps enjoys how small the school is because he loves the interactions that the older kids have with the younger kids.

“It’s just great to see the older kids set such a good example for the younger kids,” said Deschamps as he pointed to a crowd of youngsters chasing some of the older kids around the park.

As a privately funded school, Aquinas does not own its buses, and regular busing to and from school is provided by local school districts. Although regular busing is covered by the public schools, Aquinas is responsible for transportation to all after-school games or programs.

Currently, the school has one smaller bus, and it simply isn’t enough to handle the school’s needs. With an enrollment of roughly 200 students, the tight-knit community continues to grow and expand each year.

The walk-a-thon course had elementary school students running the 1-mile loop near Pie Traynor Field while the high school students competed on the 1.5-mile loop in the same location. Although it was not a competition, some athletes took the race very seriously.

Seventh grader Alexandra Robinson was the first female athlete to finish the small loop.

“I think today was a lot of fun. I just love to run, and I’m really excited to get a new sports bus,” said Robinson, a member of the school’s track and field team.

High school students Linus Burchill of Ambridge and Brendan Roney of Allison Park tied as the first students to complete the big loop.

Burchill and Roney are three-sport athletes at Aquinas, playing baseball, soccer and basketball.

“This was great today. I’m super excited to get the new bus because we really need it,” Burchill said.

A large crowd of supporters handed out waters and cheered the students on as they made their way around the course.

“We’re just thrilled to see so many friends, family and relatives out here to support our school. As a private school, we rely heavily on donations, and this support is just a testament to all we do here at Aquinas,” said Peter Blume, founder of Aquinas Academy.

After the race, students enjoyed lunch at North Park and returned to the school to finish the day with a field-day full of even more activities.