Got a New Year’s Resolution? Keep them going strong at Steps for Students in February

January 23, 2018

The annual Steps for Students, set for Feb. 17, 2018, is attended by thousands of Catholic school students, families and supporters each year, with proceeds benefiting Catholic schools in the Archdiocese. File photo by James Ramos/Herald.

HOUSTON — January is always a strong month for resolutions. The workout routine is going well, the healthy eating seems to be consistent and efforts to be a better person are holding steady. To continue that momentum, the faithful are asked to make the commitment to register for Steps for Students, which is set for Feb. 17.

The event is the largest gathering of Catholic school students and their families/supporters in the state to benefit Catholic education.

Debra Haney, interim superintendent of the Catholic schools in the Archdiocese, remembers her favorite memory of Steps for Students fondly.

“My favorite Steps memory is when the drone flew overhead at the starting line two years ago and more than 10,000 people were waving, cheering and excited to be at the event raising money for our Catholic schools,” she said. “It was a sight to see! It is a unique opportunity to see all of our schools in one place, at one time with the Cardinal, priests, deacons, administrators, Archdiocesan leadership, teachers and groups that contract with our schools... all for a common purpose — to support our Catholic schools!”

The registration goal for Steps for Students 2018 is 13,000 registrants.

As an incentive, the Archdiocese is offering a early registration rate of $20 for an individual and a discounted family registration fee of $70 for four people to those who register before Feb. 1. Beginning Feb. 1, the individual registration rate increases to $30 and family registration will no longer be available.

Also, many Catholic schools offer incentives for families and students if they register by a certain time. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School (SEASCS) is rocking and rolling with their registrations and exceeded more than 370 registrants before 2018.

Krissa Mentuis, marketing director at SEASCS, shared some of their initiatives and incentives.

“We rolled out different incentives each day for two weeks and provided a friendly competition between classes to keep the momentum going,” Mentuis said. “Announcements of the Top 3 homerooms were made each morning. Social media was used daily to keep the parents informed of each incentive and who was in the lead.”

They had a variety of incentives, but a few of them were pajama day, free dress, tacky Christmas sweaters, Donuts with Father Preston Quintela, Bahama Bucks, Cane’s Lemonade Stand, Freddy’s Frozen Custard and a Chick-fil-a Christmas party.

“Teachers gave their own incentives as well to their homerooms offering a popcorn/movie, homework passes and more,” Mentuis said. “The top fundraisers will get to ‘STEP’ into the ring with Father Preston and team. Our theme is ‘Rocky’ so they will get to wear over-sized, inflatable, boxing gloves and join in on the fun!”

To register, visit www.steps4students.org. The homepage has a countdown clock to the event date, the fundraising goal and a Steps for Students “hype” video from last year’s race. After clicking on Register, the user will be able to select the school team they’d like to join.

The next page has three options: individual registration, family registration and sponsor a runner. Sponsoring a runner may be a great option in order to help other students participate.

“I imagine many of our students across the Archdiocese being unable to participate due to financial burdens due to Hurricane Harvey,” Mentuis said. “This year you can sponsor a runner, which provides yet another way to support the event if you are unable to attend.”

Mentuis said registering early provides a sense of team building and shows our school pride to everyone in the Archdiocese.

“Steps for Students is a great event that provides families a way to come together and promote Catholic education,” she said. “For many, it is a sacrifice to send their children to Catholic school. On race day, it’s a great reminder of those sacrifices and solidifies all of us in unity as one big Catholic community, not just a single school.”
Haney also gives some ideas for anyone who would like to register and help the cause, but cannot participate in the actual race.

“They can come out and volunteer to help as the race requires the assistance of hundreds of volunteers on race day,” Haney said. “They can also take advantage of the great option to ‘snooze,’ which allows someone to register to support without attending on the actual day; it is a win-win option! They can also make a flat donation to the event through the website at www.steps4students.org.”

The last day for online registration will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16. Haney said Steps for Students is a wonderful way to directly impact our students.

“This event allows our schools to grow in excellence and service to our families, and Steps for Students is essential to the Catholic school community,” Haney said. “I hope to see more people there this year because we have learned in the last six months that together we are #CatholicSchoolStrong!”