Great Lakes Elementary Running Club Back in Action!
By Ryan Haroldson, Principal, Great Lakes Elementary School
With the snow melting and the warmer temperatures, Great Lakes Elementary Running Club went back into full swing. Mrs. Trianoski, Mrs. Theisen, Mrs. Gramstrup, Ms. Wiitala, and Mrs. Christy graciously put in the time to give these students a wonderful experience. Running Club is not new to Great Lakes Elementary School this year, but it has certainly continued to gain popularity amongst students.
Kristin Trianoski, a fifth grade teacher at Great Lakes stated, “We started the Great Lakes Running Club three years ago, and I cannot believe the impact it has had on our school community. I have witnessed all of our students growing as runners, but more importantly, they have grown in confidence and perseverance. Our older students will sacrifice their own run to stop and help a younger runner. Many students that have moved on to the middle school come back, just to help with running club. We have over 100 runners and many parent/community volunteers. The relationships being built between grades and families is amazing to watch.”
As Mrs. Trianoski alluded to, there are over 100 students between first and fifth grade participating in the program which is a significant percentage of the Great Lakes student population. What is drawing so many to join the Great Lakes Running Club? Lucy Root, a fifth grade student at Great Lakes Elementary explained that. “Running Club is a sport that I want to do. It makes me do better in Phy. Ed and makes me feel good as a person. My friends motivate me and when they do, I never want to stop.”
Running Club is a very important part of the positive culture at Great Lakes Elementary School. Ryan Haroldson, Great Lakes Elementary Principal said “In addition to the high expectations Great Lakes has in regard to academic achievement, we also want students to develop a value for lifelong fitness activities. Running Club is an important component in regard to instilling the value of lifetime fitness as well as developing students into well rounded individuals.”
Running club bridges student relationships between different grade levels and it is not uncommon to have parents come and run with their children. This forum provides an overall great chance for the entire Great Lakes school community of parents, staff, and students to build connections.
