Imagine yourself transported through time back to Friday, November 2, 2024. Your 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th periods were shortened due to a special schedule. Why? Because of the annual Turkey Trot Health Fair: an event where outside vendors, music, and even free food and activities covered every square inch of the football field. For students and teachers alike, this seemed like something meant to stay. However, this November has strolled by quietly, and now that it is December, it can be quite fairly assumed that Turkey Trot has been cancelled… and cancelled without a word or announcement or any obvious reason. Whether you liked or disliked the Health Fair, there’s still one question that arises: “What happened to it?”
Around campus, feelings about the Turkey Trot are mixed. Some students appreciated the change of pace at school where they were given the freedom to walk around with friends at an after school event part of the school day, while others got tired of the hot afternoon sun quickly and felt they could have been released to be at home instead.
But what made the disappearance all the more puzzling was the radio silence that followed. For what seemed to be a yearly event, there wasn’t any announcement that publicised the sudden cancellation. November just came and went. While the sudden cancellation of Turkey Trot hits the hearts of many students, it mostly hits their stomachs…and wallets.
“I liked the free ice cream they served, plus the food from their concession stand,” said Amaryllis Quijano.
“The free stuff they give, like pens, so I don’t gotta spend my money on school supplies,” said Lauren Rubillos.
Other students haven’t gotten the chance to experience what Turkey Trot was, most obviously the class of 2029.
“As a freshman who’s never experienced it, I feel like it would’ve been something cool to participate in and it would’ve been full of promising memories,” said freshman Alexis Weissfuss.
“I feel like I’ve missed out on walking around with my friends, and getting free food,” shared Gina Ocha, another freshman.
One of our MeneCulinary teachers, Mr. Mitsuda, who usually ran the famous fried noodle booth and led students in cooking the free dish in woks on the field shared some feelings about the cancellation. “I’m sad that I didn’t get to make noodles for the kids this year; however, I do understand that there’s a brand new PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization). They’re doing their best to transition into something new, and we will support them the best we can.”
Over the past several weeks after approaching our principal, all 5 vice principals, and unsuccessfully trying to meet with The PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) in person, answers were vague and hard to trace and many seemed to be unsure or hesitant to speak on a reason why Turkey Trot was no more, pointing to someone else who might have had more information.
For a while, it was assumed that there was nothing against the Turkey Trot and that nothing “went wrong” last year, but they may be paving a path in a different direction…which turned out to be accurate. This speculation is further confirmed by the group members of the PTSA board themselves via email. Over the past weekend, the PSTA has finally shared through an email that:
“Although we value all events that the previous PTSA was able to organize, we are a set of parents who work regular jobs in addition to volunteering our time to learn the intricacies of this great organization. With that being said, we collaboratively agreed to spend our inaugural year with a few goals at the forefront of our priorities to set a strong foundation for the years ahead:
1) Strengthening our understanding of the PTSA by-laws to ensure that we continue to abide by the existing rules/regulations that govern the PTSA at both State and National levels.
2) Focusing on key areas that will positively enhance our school community:”
Said key areas revolve around increasing the members within the PTSA and the number of regular participating parents and staff at meetings. For future projects, the PTSA will focus on planning and organizing Kina’ole (an event that has been a longstanding tradition of acknowledging and honoring those who have made a distinct difference to MoHS and our community), re-energizing Project Grad United, and participating in the Reflections Program that showcases the talents of students through visual, written, and performing arts.
It’s understandable that such a shift in PTSA leadership would lead to changes in school-wide events. “An organizational change takes time to carry things over. Maybe in the future, something similar would be nice,” said Mr. Mitsuda.
Don’t grow too concerned. While the future of Turkey Trot is uncertain, there are plans for something similar to come in the future, as according to a statement shared by the PTSA.
“We have not yet discussed the revival of the Turkey Trot in years to come. We are certain that if not the Turkey Trot, we are very interested in having a similar event which would bring the community and students together in a meaningful way. We would love to hear from students and their thoughts about reviving the Turkey Trot or suggestions of what other type of event they would prefer.”
For further concerns, the PTSA encourages anyone to reach out via email, [email protected], and invites everyone to stay connected through their Instagram: @mohs_PTSA. The disappearance of Turkey Trot may be sad for some, but the end of one thing also signifies the beginning of something new. With the PTSA’s new leadership, there will come many opportunities for new ideas that intend to connect students, parents, and faculty alike.
