PORTSMOUTH — With many carrying signs bearing the names of their teachers — “Moore Love,” “Grinnell’s Gang,” “The Thompson Tigers,” “Golden Goss,” “Mrs. Gill’s Fast Dragons,” etc. — students at Hathaway School showed their school spirit while marching in Monday’s “Fun Walk” through the neighborhood.

The event, which could not be held last year due to COVID-19, was the culmination of a school fund-raiser. With a police escort, students started marching from the school parking lot, waving to parents before taking a right turn onto Tallman Avenue and proceeding east until they took another right onto Atlantic Avenue.

The walk ended in the large, sloping field behind the school, where the study body gathered for a bird’s-eye group photo by drone operator David Andrade.

Dana Yeager Squires, a member of the Hathaway Parent Teacher Association (HPTA) and mother of children in first and fourth grades at the school, organized Monday’s event.

“This is the second time we've done this event, with the first Fun Walk taking place in 2019,” she said. “We were unable to hold it last year due to COVID, and we’re so excited to bring it back again this year.”

The Fun Walk is more than just a fund-raiser for the school, she said. 

“It is also meant to be a fun school-wide event, promoting healthy choices and school spirit,” she said. “We include all students in the walk, regardless of whether they raise funds or not, and all students receive a free T-shirt.”

To date, HPTA has raised more than $23,000 for the school, but students will have until next week to turn in any donations collected from friends and family, she said.

“We are very grateful for the support of Hathaway friends and families and proud of the students for all of their hard work,” Squires said. “The funds raised will all benefit the school and will contribute to the completion of our outdoor classroom, fund family events throughout the year, support field trips when permitted, and purchase materials and technology for classrooms.”