HCS students participate in Girls on the Run

 

This spring, 58 girls from Hampton City Schools participated in Girls on the Run (GOTR). There were three school teams – Forrest Elementary, Peake Elementary, and Phenix PreK-8. In addition, individual students from Aberdeen Elementary, Andrews PreK-8, Armstrong School for the Arts, Burbank Elementary, Eaton Middle, and Kilgore Gifted Center participated.

 

The Forrest Elementary Girls GOTR started in 2014. Corrine Murphy and Jessica Townsend have been volunteer coaches for 12 to 14 seasons and Sara Meier has coached for the past eight seasons. In addition, a Christopher Newport University student also volunteered with the team this year. They have 15 to 20 students who participate annually.

 

“Girls on the Run has been a wonderful way to have students, teachers, and parents work together to make connections and accomplish physical and social-emotional goals,” said Townsend.

 

The Mary S. Peake Elementary team, led by Lindsay Jackson, Jennifer Broderick, Sofia Maggio, and Kailani Brown had a team of 12 girls participate in the 5K at Virginia Wesleyan University on May 22. Broderick shared that each girl completes the race with a running buddy who could be a friend, family member, or a teacher from their school. This was the fourth season for the program at Peake.

 

The Phenix PreK-8 team had eight girls participate in the 5K. The coaches are Ashton Cross and Emilie Morris. They have worked with the program for three years.

 

Girls on the Run Hampton Roads was founded in 2006, celebrating their 15th anniversary this year. The program consists of 20 lessons delivered over 10 weeks. Girls meet twice a week for 90 minutes after school with their team, led by volunteer coaches. The lessons incorporate critical life-skills and SEL topics with physical activity. At the end of the season, the girls complete a 5K - the goal they have been working towards all season. You can read more about the program here.

 

 

HCS girls also participated at community teams at the Hampton Family YMCA. Community Teams are a great opportunity for girls to participate if their school does not host a team. It is also a great chance for girls to meet each other from different schools. Schools represented at community sites included Armstrong, Burbank, Kilgore, Andrews, Eaton, and Aberdeen.