Panther Pride 5K fundraiser winds through downtown

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - There was an important step on Saturday to help Murphy High School, especially teachers at the school.

The school suffered heavy damage in the Christmas tornado, and classes for its current students are being held at Clark-Shaw Magnet School. A yearly event helping faculty at the school took place this morning.

Photos: Murphy damaged by tornado

Strong turnout, even students

Dozens of people, and even some four legged runners, got up early to join in the 13th annual Panther Pride 5K Run.

Because the Christmas Day tornado heavily damaged the school, students know how important this year's run is. Murphy students still remember their first thoughts when they saw their devastated school.

Savannah Brewer said, "Its confusing. We weren't sure what to do. Everything seemed to work out itself."

Photos: Panther Pride 5K winds through downtown

Alumni helps organize run

People like 1997 Murphy graduate Joshua Logan especially wanted to help after seeing the damage to the school.

Logan said, "Its been up there for so long. Its been through so many hurricanes, and it just took one tornado to really devastate it. So, I'm hoping what we do with this run, anything else that they do, can help restore it back to its natural glory."

Travis Ritchie with the Murphy Parent Teacher Student Association said, "We'd had close to over 400 runners today. (It was a) very successful run.  Everybody's been great:  a lot of support, lots of support from the community."

This year's run was held at Spanish Plaza downtown. The usual location, which winds through the school’s campus, wasn’t used this year because Murphy suffered heavy damage during the Christmas Day tornado.