It’s spring and the children at Sheridan School in Tacoma, Washington are looking forward to participating in their running club, which was started by our daughter, Gretchen, who has taught third or fourth grade there since 2004. We are so proud that she has shared her passion with the children at the school and creatied the Sheridan School Running Club. Rather than me tell the story, I asked her several questions so she could tell you about the club and its success.
What is the Sheridan School Running Club?
Each year, Sheridan has a Running Club. It typically runs about 6 weeks at the end of the school year and is an hour after school – 2 days a week. Kids who have signed up (grades 1-5) get together, have a snack, do some drills and then do some laps around our track. Each time they lap around our oblong, non-standard, not-quite-a-1/5-mile-track, adults tally their laps on their arm with a magic marker to mark their progress. Initially it was all about preparation for a big race Tacoma holds called “Sound to Narrows”, but as time has gone on and the group has expanded so much it is essentially just about the power of getting together and running after school. Many kids (about 30-40%) do end up running the 2 kilometer race, which is typically the last Saturday of the school year and it is a nice culminating activity. There is also a 5K race, which some kids are able to do as well.
When did you start the running club and why?
Running club began around 2005. At first it was just me and 3 other kids. Two of the students were in my class and one was a sibling. I just wanted to share my love of running with my kids, who seem to take to the sport so readily. I then opened it up to the entire fourth grade level for a few years. Eventually, we added another grade level and then grades 3-5. In about 2010 our school had all of this money to support an after school program where teachers could teach anything and they provided bussing to the the kids. This was a huge surge for our club. A bus! Our numbers probably hit 100 and registration was in someone else’s hands. I am sure it was close to the first day when I learned that 1st graders were going to be included (which I had not intended because they are so young). I was so pleasantly surprised, not only at their ability, but at their eagerness and positive attitudes. They were a joy to have with us. This after school program also allowed other staff members to join in and help out as well. It is no surprise, but that pot of money went away. Luckily the enthusiasm for Running Club did not. I realized how critical a bus was to our program and allowing kids to participate. Since then, we have had to get creative in how to fund a bus. In recent years we started charging kids $5 to cover it.
Running through the sprinkler. Who knew it could be hot and sunny in Tacoma?
It must have been in 2010 or so, we started getting Tshirts. Every year the PTA purchases them for the kids. A former parent who owns a Tshirt shop gives us a great deal. He helped me create a logo, which remains our logo today – each year we have a different color with the same logo. The kids wear these shirts with pride, long after they fit them. I also try to get them to wear them on race day to represent our school.
Getting the T-shirts ready
How has participation grown over the years?
Participation has grown tremendously. We have even had to create deadlines for registration when it starts to creep over 200. At that point I have teachers, kids, parents, brothers and sisters convincing me to add just one more to the roster. I usually do. Staff is a limiting factor. We have 2 “paid” positions, which is splitting an intramural stipend, and the rest are volunteers or parents. I wish we could have more paid positions to honor the time that other people contribute. One year I did convince the athletic director to give us about $600 to split with about 4 of our most reliable helpers. I try to maintain a ratio of 20 kids for each adult – which means 10 adults out there with us handing out snacks, herding kids, marking their arms for each lap they run, cheering, helping clean up, putting on band-aids, etc.
How many children participate and what grades participate?
Up to 200 in grades 1-5.
Participation has grown quite a bit from the original three children and Gretchen
What kind of influence has participation had on the children doing it?
From what I can tell, especially in the low-income population I work in, these kids just want to be in a club. They want to belong. They want to be a part of “something”. Oftentimes, their families do not have the resources to get them involved in after school programs or clubs outside of school. Of course many love running and the accomplishment of seeing their distances grow throughout our time together. There are others though, that just like to walk around the track and chat with their friends. I still consider that a win over going home, perhaps to an empty house, and sitting on the couch, or just having nothing to do. We bring connections, exercise, outside time and exposure to healthy living. I have kids asking me all year long when Running Club starts and for those 6 weeks, I feel famous walking around the school as 1/3 of the school knows me and loves to say hi in the hallway and reach out.
I did have one success story., a young girl named Yesenia Hernandez who was a very accomplished runner. She came in 2nd in the 5K and went on to run with the high schoolers while she was in middle school and she traveled as far as New York to do so. I’m pretty sure Yesenia would be a runner, no matter what, but I think Running Club gave her the confidence to excel and the awareness of the talent she possesses as a runner. She later wrote me a letter thanking me, which was a tangible treasure to tuck away with all of my stored memories.
Having fun in the Sound to Narrows race with Nola enjoying the ride
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