Getting physically hit with an explosion of colour is one way to help celebrate a Friday.
It was the way about 300 Castlemaine Secondary College students saw out the end of last week as the junior school converged on the oval to celebrate Mental Health Week with what is rapidly becoming entrenched as a favourite annual event – The Colour Run.
After the first Colour Run proved a winner among students and stuff last year there was no question about its return this time ’round.
“This is about Mental Health Week so it’s about promoting mental health, having some fun and just getting involved,” said Shanee Squire, wellbeing team leader at the college and one of those behind the colour saturated fun.
The school’s years seven, eight and nine students took to the oval in the afternoon for two laps around, getting hit by colour bombs at various official checkpoints along the way.
No one – including visiting media – was immune from the inevitable results.
“The kids love it. They all have great time, all willing to get involved, heaps of fun,” Shanee said.
“With mental health, being active is a really big thing. We want to encourage students to be active.
“With that we know some kids will run, some kids will walk but it’s also about those positive interactions that they’re having with their friends and also other staff that are here – lots of positive interactions between everyone.”
The students themselves also played a key role in organising the event as part of the Health Action Team – or HAT team – whose members were readily identifiable by their headwear, which started the day blue in colour.
