As many of us are aware, on October 23, 2013, twenty-four year old teacher Colleen Ritzer was murdered by one of her students at her place of employment- Danvers High School. Her body was found in the woods near the school, covered in leaves and debris in an attempt to camouflage her.

In memory and in order to support the scholarship created in memory of the beloved teacher to benefit students who are pursuing education degrees in college, the Step Up for Colleen 5k is being held on May 3 at 9:00 am at Andover Central Park, Bartlet Street, Andover, MA.

Gloucester High School nurse, Leora Ulrich, is walking the race because she feels personally affected by Ritzer’s death.

“It’ll be a good way to honor her spirit,” said Ulrich. “It’s doing something positive about something that was horrendous. As a mother of a daughter who has a whole life ahead of her, I feel strongly to honor her legacy.”

All runners/ walkers will be timed. The cost of registration is $30.00 for online registration, and $35.00 for paper registration (plus processing fees). Online registration ends on April 29 at 7:00  Paper registration is from May 1st – 3rd.

For additional information, visit www.stepupforcolleen.com.