District 86 High Schoolers Up All Night for a Good Cause

The secret to making it through the annual 24-hour Relay is in the beverage.

“We’re drinking a lot of soda. Kind of just running on caffeine,” said Mary Donaldson, a junior at Hinsdale Central High School.

Energy drinks and a few frappuccinos were also spotted Saturday evening at Hinsdale South High School, where approximately 300 students pitched tents and voluntarily spent the night at school.

From 10 a.m. Saturday through 10 a.m. Sunday, teams of students walked around the track—and raised money to help others in the process. One member of the team was required to be on the track at all times, walking laps. Each team was also required to have a chaperon at all times.

A tradition for at least the past 15 years, the annual 24-hour Relay fundraiser helps Hinsdale Township High School District 86 students in need, as well as local charities. Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South take turns hosting the event each year.

“It really unites the school district and the two high schools, which is why I really like to volunteer my time to help,” said senior Mitchell Gurick, student body president at Hinsdale Central. “Yes, we’re raising money for charity, but it’s cool because students from both schools have an opportunity to kind of meet one another.”

Hinsdale Central chemistry teacher Lani MacArtney has helped coordinate the fundraiser for the past two years.

“I did this when I was in high school actually, and it was a lot of fun,” said MacArtney, who is a 2002 graduate of Hinsdale Central. “You get to hang out in a tent. It’s like having your own little house with all your friends.”

Frisbees and soccer balls flew through the air as students played games on the field. Others hung out near their tents. Inside the field house—where more tents were pitched and music blasted from large speakers—students walked laps around the indoor track.

“When we saw the thunderstorm warnings, we decided to be prepared and get ready to be inside,” MacArtney said.

Money raised by the Relay helps District 86 students in need. The funds help cover books, calculators and summer school tuition for those who can not afford it.

“Once we distribute those funds, we also give to local charities,” MacArtney said.

This year the students selected the People’s Resource Center in Wheaton and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Last year, all of the money was used to help District 86 students because of great need.

The total amount raised by students at this year’s event will not be known until Monday, MacArtney said.

Among the activities that kept participants busy were karaoke and performances by several student bands.

Elliott Arnold, an eighth grader at Clarendon Hills Middle School, stayed busy at the Relay helping his friend, DJ Andrew Mallek. Mallek, a freshman at Central, runs BPM Entertainment, which provides DJ services for events.

“We got to keep them moving and moving, so we play music for them,” Arnold said.

Hinsdale South senior Mary Kiolbasa has wanted to participate in the Relay in the past, but this is the first year she could actually do so.

“I’ve always wanted to do it since freshman year and it always ended up conflicting with various sporting events. So this year, finally, it was a weekend I didn’t have a tournament,” she said.

And since a few members of her team got sick Friday night and couldn’t attend, she and her teammates were walking laps more frequently than anticipated. For her, the Relay followed a busy week and last weekend’s prom.

“I think right now I’m a little bit too much on an adrenaline high. So we’ll see when it hits me,” she said.