Boys or girls, young or old—the Gawad Kalinga (GK) club engages everyone! The GK club is a high school service club and was first established at SAS in 2010 by Maiki Del Rosario, a former SAS student. She graduated in 2011 and now teaches first graders at SAS. Del Rosario is a vital sponsor for the club! 

The GK club was established to help address poverty—a heartbreaking issue that is faced all over the world in large numbers. To help address this issue and inspire the youth and future generations the GK club organizes the annual Zombie Run. 

The Zombie Run first began in 2014 and was introduced by Bianca Antonio and Justin Peterson. Today it has come a long way. It is a three-kilometer fun run around our school campus, created to capture the essence of Halloween. Participants are plagued by zombies in “zombie zones.” These zombies try and steal their lives (ribbons, much like flag football). Each participant starts the run with three ribbons, signifying three lives. The three-kilometer route has clearly marked “zombie zones”, where the zombies may chase them, and “safe zones”, where there are no zombies. In zombie zones, the zombies try to take the ribbons that are hanging from the participant’s belt. Safe zones are areas where participants may slow down and rest. The objective is to finish the race with the fastest time and at least one flag, or "life" (meaning you survived the zombie apocalypse!)."  

This exhilarating running experience gives students a chance to enjoy themselves for a great cause! To register for the Zombie Run participants had to pay S$30, which included participation in the run around the school (with three lives each), an immersive experience in the haunted house, t-shirts, water bottles, candy, and medals for the first five finishers in each age group. 

This year the Zombie Run took place on October 27, 2017. 600 runners ran for their lives to over S$19,000! This year’s run has been the largest one to date! 
Besides the Zombie Run, the GK club is involved yearly service trips. These service trips go to poverty filled villages in the Philippines. Not only do students create long-lasting connections with the children living in these villages, but they are also able to assist in building houses, which greatly help the poverty! 

The GK club would also like to recognize and thank all the parent volunteers that helped make this run successful. This year the GK club also collaborated with the Thespian Club, by adding in a new segment called the “Haunted House!” —an immersive experience in the black box theater. 

Anyone can run the Zombie Run and the GK clubs hopes to see returning and new students next year! Until then, make sure to stay away from zombies!