Registration is open for the annual Dr. Sean A. Hughes Memorial "Character Counts" 5K and 1-mile Fun Run. The race starts at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 8 at Lower Merion High School's Arnold Field in Ardmore.
This year's event carries a milestone for the school community. Phase One of the Sean A. Hughes Memorial will be unveiled during the post-race ceremony at the memorial site, located between the high school and the district's Administration Offices.
The race is a fundraiser for the Sean A. Hughes Memorial Fund. Registration costs $35 for the 5K and $25 for the Fun Run. Anyone who registers before Nov. 1 gets a free T-shirt.
More than 500 runners and walkers turned out last year, including Lower Merion High School alumna Kylie Kelce and Assistant Superintendent Scott Weinstein, according to the district's event page. The route winds through the neighborhood surrounding the school.
Hughes served as principal of Lower Merion High School for 14 years and as president of the Central Athletic League. He died in a car crash in Winslow Township, New Jersey, on Nov. 13, 2021, while driving his son to a soccer game. He was 51.
His signature message to students, "character counts," became the race's name and the guiding theme of the memorial now taking shape on campus.
"The 'character counts' thing, that was his motto and he really lived by that," 2018 Lower Merion graduate Jack Stickney told 6abc Action News in the days after Hughes' death in November 2021.
The memorial was designed by sculptor Miguel Antonio Horn, a Harriton High School alum. Plans call for a garden, plaza and gateway featuring a photo of Hughes and his motto, PhillyVoice reported. The broader vision includes an outdoor amphitheater for use by classes and student groups.
Students with financial need can contact Amy Buckman at [email protected] for scholarship information to cover registration costs.
Coming up:
- Nov. 1 — Deadline to register and receive a free T-shirt
- Nov. 8, 9:30 a.m. — Sean A. Hughes Memorial 5K and Fun Run, Arnold Field, Ardmore
