Three months ago, the elementary students at Georgian Bay Community School were given the opportunity to participate in a MaraFun. A MaraFun is an innovative program designed to encourage elementary school kids to run 42.2 km over several weeks or months. Teachers at GBCS were hoping to help prepare students for the upcoming track and field season as well as encourage students to get active. They began their MaraFun challenge on April 17.
Three days a week, over the course of 11 weeks, teachers tracked the student’s laps, handing out popsicle sticks at the end of each lap and then tabulating the results. More than 280 students took part in the MaraFun, as did several teachers, and the school’s Principal Kevin Wilson even did a few laps in his dress shoes.
In total, 24 students managed to finish the half-MaraFun, having accumulated over 53 laps of the track and logging over 21km. A very dedicated and committed group of 13 students reached their goal of completing the full MaraFun, walking and running over 42km. Some of these students went above and beyond expectations as they came to school early, stayed late or even completed laps on the weekend to reach their goals.
It was exciting to watch students learn about hard work and dedication and it was a pleasure to reward them for their efforts. Many thanks go out to local businesses who provided prizes and helped to pay for the ribbons these students received. Generous donations were made by the following: Paul Kaminski from iProRealty, Rice’s Home Hardware, PomPom, The Keep Refillery, New Orleans Pizza, Dairy Queen, and Subway.
