Geek Streak pays for exams -- in color

The Shafter High School AP Club held its 6th annual Geek Streak over the weekend, with the proceeds going to a fund that helps pay for the test fees for the Advanced Placement students at Shafter High School.

The Geek Streak this year was a color run event. Participants ran through the course with color stations set up along the route where the participants would get doused with water and sprayed with blasts of color.

By the end of the event, all of the runners and walkers looked like rainbows streaking across the finish line.

The event has been a valuable tool for the club, especially with the rising costs of the exams. One of the organizers, Daren Sundgren, said, "This event is important because all of the proceeds help pay for AP tests for Shafter High students. It also shows how the school and community supports all of their hard work." With some students taking multiple tests, it got harder for the students and their families to pay for all of them."

Last year, all of the students who took AP tests had their exams paid for in full. Six years ago, the club and its adviser, April Martinez, were looking for a way to raise money to help defray the costs of the tests. The Geek Streak was born out of a brainstorming session, with participants encouraged to wear their best geek attire. There were prizes for the best-dressed geek in the event, as well as prizes for the fastest finishers. They also sought logistical advice and help from the Shafter Running Club and from Shafter High's cross-country coaches, Sundgren and Jordan Lewis.

This year, they were giving prizes to the participants who had the most color on them by the time they crossed the finish line.

The course began in front of Shafter High on Mannel Avenue and wound its way along the orchards until the route circled back to the Shafter High Quad, for a total of 3.1 miles.