St Margaret’s College Boys Secondary of Vittoriosa will be organising the 12th edition of the Pool Marathon between Friday 20 and Saturday 21 May. The marathon will collect funds in aid of S.T.A.R.S., a group created to give support to parents who have children with different impairments in all aspects that disability may bring.

Eighteen students from the St Margaret’s College will be taking part in this marathon, which will be officially inaugurated on Friday at 10am. They will compete against each other in a one hour match on a round robin basis. The best students will qualify for the final stages of the competition that will come to an end, with the final match, on Saturday 21 May at noon.

The aim of the competition is just to keep the participants motivated during the three days of the marathon, especially the difficult night hours.

The 18 participants for this year’s event were chosen after a qualifying tournament held at school between January and April.

Several dignitaries have been invited to this marathon, among them Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi and the leader of the Opposition, Dr Joseph Muscat.

The students, together with their teachers and parents, will once again unite in order to help those in need. This year’s organisation is S.T.A.R.S., set up in March of 2010 and now legally registered as a Voluntary Organisation. Since it started, the group has taken the initiative to organise events which bring more awareness in our society for inclusion, and also serves to highlight our children’s abilities rather than focusing on their disabilities.

The Pool Marathon was first held in 1999. The aim has always been that of helping different local philanthropic organisations thus enhancing the sense of altruism in the students of St Margaret’s College. It also serves as an opportunity for these students to expose their talents.