BY BERNIE MIXON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
ST. BERNARD -- More than 300 students as well as teachers, staff and parents at St. Clement School will hit the pavement next week to raise money for a new computer lab.
In the past, the school has benefitted from walking fund-raisers to earn money for everything from school supplies to Christmas presents for students.
Students have been encouraging people to sponsor them in the five-mile "Walk for St. Clement" that will take place at 12:45 p.m. Friday through the streets of St. Bernard to raise $10,000 for the project.
"We have done a self-study for our school as we go into the new millennium," said Helen Romes, principal. "This has been a great need here."
An annual fund-raiser, last year's "Walk for St. Clement" raised $10,000. As part of this year's effort, students have asked relatives, neighbors and others in the community to sponsor them. Although the school has a computer lab, it's on the third floor of the building in a non-air-conditioned room. Only about 25 people can fit in the lab at a time, which makes teaching a class sometimes difficult.
The new lab, which will be in a renovated storage room in the basement, would allow students to "work on word processing and get on the Internet," Mrs. Romes said. "The whole class could go in there and the teacher can teach whatever lesson."
Estimates put the total project cost at $100,000 for the new computer lab, Mrs. Romes said.
The walk will take students roughly along Vine Street to Ross, down Ross to Greenlee Avenue, and then from Greenlee to Mitchell Avenue and back to Vine.
Students in grades 3-8 will walk for five miles while students in kindergarten through second grade will walk three miles. Students unable to walk will help at the water stations.
In addition to a treat after the walk, there are other incentives for students: the top seller in each homeroom will win a Limo Lunch; the top homeroom in grades K-4 and 5-8 will receive a pizza and video party.
The overall top sellers in grades K-4 and 5-8 will be principal for a day and be treated to lunch while second place overall sellers will get movie passes to Showcase Cinema, and third place overall sellers will receive video passes.
Last year, Kathy Sprong stood out in the rain taking pictures of her daughter Chelsea, now 8 and in the third grade, who won a limo ride and lunch for her fund-raising efforts.
"I think it (the walkathon) is an excellent idea," Mrs. Sprong said. "It's really a big community thing. It's neat to see all of these kids doing this for their school."
Anyone wishing to sponsor a student or donate to the computer lab fund should call the school at 641-2137.
