Christine Blackadar, Deputy Head of the Junior School, and Alli MacDougall, Grade 3 teacher, share an update about the Junior School's passion for running.
Running is a sport that has been promoted in the Junior School for many years. We have staff and many parents who love to run which means that the girls are encouraged to view running as an enjoyable sport that has tremendous benefits for overall wellness.
Running Club (and walking too!)
Spring arrived earlier than usual in March 2021 and we had some great days when the running trail emerged from the snow. Students in Grade 1 and 2 pleaded for Running Club to start spontaneously and we were certainly not about to say no!
This club takes place at recess lunch during the Fall and Spring. It is often one of the first encounters with the world of running that our young Junior School girls have. Students run or walk laps of the playground. Three laps equals one kilometre. Students earn a multi-coloured toe token for each kilometre that they run. It is always good to see that some of our older students still have their toe tokens from their Junior School Years on their lanyards. Girls are able to enter at their own level and gradually build their walking and running endurance.
Fun Event Runs
Our Early Years students see the older Junior School students run past their yard and are keen to then participate in special runs during the year. This is an example of important role modeling that happens in our School. The annual Pumpkin Run is coming up soon and this year the run will be organized by Grade 2 as a leadership experience. We also have a first snowfall run that will take place - likely in November.
Terry Fox Run
The Junior School students demonstrated an abundance of energy and enthusiasm last Friday during the annual Terry Fox Run. Students ran laps around the school yard to honour our Canadian hero. Collectively the students ran 474 laps, which is equivalent to about 158 km. Students were challenged to run as many laps as they could during a period of time. Many students set goals, and a freezie at the finish line was much appreciated by all the students as they celebrated their wonderful efforts.
FitQuest
Fitquest has been brought into the Junior School to work with young students to develop Canada’s future athletes and support student health and well-being. Its mission is to motivate, educate, and empower. The program they are offering our students is unique to Elmwood. It is designed to develop a young athlete's fundamental and functional movement skills, coordination, balance, and agility, building on their existing athleticism through age-appropriate, challenging, and fun activities. Students who signed up from Grades 3 to 5 enjoyed their first session on Tuesday.