Each year, Margaret River Montessori School students take part in an annual Lapathon to raise funds for charity.
Our 2021 Lapathon took place in Term 2, with the children braving looming rain clouds to walk or run as far as they could with the cheerful encouragement of many supportive parent volunteers and staff. Not only did the students enjoy seeking their sponsors, getting active and beating their personal goals, they also relished the opportunity to contribute to the community.
This year our event organisers, Trish Murray and Olly Chanin, along with the wider school community were delighted to donate to two local Margaret River charities River Angels and Disabled Surfers Foundation.
River Angels, a local charity organisation founded by Lynda Donovan in 2011, provides much needed support for local families who are suffering through or have been impacted by cancer. Disabled Surfers Foundation gives people with varying disabilities the opportunity to enjoy fun and safe surfing experiences. This wholly voluntary organisation now has 19 branches across Australia and the South West sub-branch has been running for 16 years.
Principal Lisa Fenton highlighted that the Lapathon was an example of ‘purposeful pedagogies’ at MRMS.
“As part of our commitment to preparing students for life we know that the classroom is not enough and we must take our students beyond the curriculum in order to truly prepare them for life”, Lisa said.
“In doing so we aim for as much of our students’ learning experiences to be grounded in direct hands-on, real life/community based experiences.”