Hopefully their shoes are good for walking, because that's just what students at St. John Neumann Regional School will do come Friday.

At that time, the students will traverse around the Palmerton Borough Park, as well as through and around the town, as part of the school's annual Walkathon.Pupils in grades K-3 from the school's Slatington campus, and students in grades 4-8 from its Palmerton campus, will walk in the event, whose theme is "Everybody's Here!"Afterward, the students will enjoy a free pizza lunch, followed by a special assembly by the Franklin Institute on The Human Body.Chuck Cornmesser, committee chair, noted that the event is one of the school's largest fundraisers of the year."As a nonprofit parochial school with very limited external funding, our annual fundraisers are essential in furthering our mission to provide our students with academic excellence and faith formation in a safe, respectful and caring environment," Cornmesser said. "All funds from our Walkathon benefit the students."Cornmesser added, "With past support, we were able to enrich the educational experiences of the students from kindergarten to eighth grade by funding an impressive list of activities and improvements to the school."Money raised from past years has helped to update the school's computer labs, purchase additional Smartboards (interactive whiteboards), new textbooks, and educational field trips, he said.Last year's Walkathon raised $11,000.