On Oct. 16, FBTA held the annual Patriot Pace! It ended up being a sunny day, but a muddy field with all the rain from the night prior.

Every year the students collect pledges for new equipment, music instruments, useful tools, etc. for the school. The entire student body goes up to the soccer field to eat lunch and cheer each other on as they run, everyone running twenty laps around to meet their required estimate. Jay M, senior, even took the opportunity to run in his dinosaur costume to have fun with the students. 

“I got to run 21 laps throughout the time we were there. I even got to run with the elementary for a while,” said Diego V, sophomore.

“The Patriot Pace is always so much fun,” said Haston H, junior. “I love being able to talk to my friends without getting in trouble [since I wasn’t talking during class].”

“It was a fun day especially with adding Bro. Spatz’s commentary to Mr. Bradford’s commentary,” said Mrs. Page, senior home room teacher. “My seniors better make their quota!”

While many of the students were running, the journalism class had a fun assignment that had not been done before. They were given a photo scavenger hunt and had to take all different kinds of pictures of the whole school running, eating, and talking. It was a fun assignment taking pictures of all the different kinds of emotions there were that day. 

“It was a challenging assignment for them this year,” said Mrs. Dyck, journalism teacher. “They are used to taking the same kinds of pictures when they have the camera, but with a check-list of specific photos, it pushed them out of their limitations. They ended up with some beautiful shots, and hopefully had fun along the way.” 

Money raised this year will go toward purchasing a new academy intercom system, new drinking fountains with water bottle fill stations, new choir dresses for senior high girls, an iPad charging station for junior/senior high students, more playground equipment, additional microwave stations and electrical wiring in the cafeteria, and new musical instruments, including handbells and strings.

The student who has the most $20 donations gets a $250 gift card for Amazon. There are other prizes for 2nd and 3rd places. Also, the class that raises the most $20 donations as a whole gets a half day off of school to go enjoy lunch at a park. 

There are many ways the school tries to involve students to participate, but the day of the Patriot Pace is a highlight for the whole school!