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Five years after 16-year-old Blake High School student Alicia Betancourt was killed in a car crash, organizers of an annual 5K race that reminds students to drive safely in her memory hope to boost participation in the program among newer students in the school.

Race for a Dream 5K run/3K walk, held annually in May for the past five years, will be held for the first time this year as a kickoff event of homecoming spirit week on Sunday, organizers say. Participation was down to as little as 50 walkers and runners in May, because many students at the school didn't know Alicia or they had already mentally "checked out" at the end of the school year, according to Erinn Rigney, a Blake teacher and race coordinator.

Rigney and others hope having the race as part of spirit week, in which classes compete to have the most participation at school-spirit activities, will give a much-needed boost to interest in the event. They're expecting to see about 150 people participate this year, she said, a number closer to the 500 people who originally walked or ran at the first-ever race.

"It's nice to see that the kids seem to be more excited about the event than they have been in past years," Rigney said. "Usually it's not something that gets a lot of attention."

David Hylton, a sophomore at Blake who is nearing the legal age to drive, said he's recently heard more of a buzz around the event than in the past.

"Last year, because it was at the end of the year, everyone's energy died down," he said. "I don't think it was advertised that well. But this year, because of all the posters, and because it's homecoming season, people are riled up about it."

Blake High School focuses on arts, so Betancourt's love of dance and painting during her lifetime has hit home with many students, said Hylton, whose older sisters danced with Betancourt. He said he has explained the story behind the event to some students, and his friends on the track team have told him they are participating.

The race was initially held by Betancourt's mother, Lulu Delacre, to create a scholarship fund in memory of her daughter. After reaching the scholarship's monetary goal, the event became a fundraiser for post-prom activities and a way to create awareness of safe-driving techniques, according to Janice Hylton, event coordinator and mother of David Hylton.

This year's event coincides with National Teen Driver Safety Week and will have a variety of activities to promote safe driving among Blake students. IDriveSmart driving school is donating a $600 driving class to the event, and State Farm, a long-time donor to the race, will be hosting smart-driving activities on race day, Hylton said. Local running stores will give gift cards to the fastest male and female runners, and local restaurants have donated raffle prizes of gift cards, she said.

Students and community members will also be asked starting this week to sign a safe-driving pledge banner to promise they will drive as safely as possible at all times, Rigney said.

Though Hylton said many students wait until the last minute to register, she seems confident the new time will increase community interest and student participation in the race.

"It's a new time of year, and I think it's really going to work out this time with the way homecoming's falling," she said.

Race for a Dream 5K run/3K walk will be held 11 a.m. Sunday at Blake High School, 300 Norwood Road in Silver Spring. Interested participants can register for $10 through Friday at http://www.blakeptsa.org/race-for-a-dream, or register for $20 on race day starting at 10 a.m.