On Friday, from 7 pm to 7 am on March 14th, an exciting annual swimming event will take place at St. Mary’s Swimming Pool. The 12-hour swim is a teamwork-based event where a minimum of 4 to a maximum of 6 people cooperate to swim 12 hours, rotating in 1 lane. Teams are encouraged to strategize their rotational plan to show maximum effort.
The purpose of the event is to raise money for a charity through the students’ dedication. It is to experience physically the lessons of teamwork and sacrifice. High school associate principal Mr. Bayfield stated that donating money from a wallet “…is easy as it does not involve personal sacrifices.” However, a 12-hour swim, he explained, is an opportunity for students to “..show commitment and do something challenging to help people in need.” He further state that the 12-hour swim emphasizes teamwork, as students should cooperate to swim 12 hours in a cold swimming pool at midnight. He underscored that students will learn the valuable lesson of sacrificing for others.
According to Mr. Bayfield, last year’s 12-hour swim was successful because the students raised a small fortune for the earthquake appeal. He hopes many students will participate in this event again this year, stating that anyone who can swim is welcome to join.
