A Lesson on the Run

Third-grader Jaden Grantland jogged up to Port St. Joe Elementary School physical education instructor Chuck Gannon and checked in for another lap on the high school track.

A Cheshire cat smile on his face, Grantland was feeling good and had hardly the time to spare before embarking on another 440 yards around the asphalt.

“This is great because I love the running,” Grantland said. “I just love the running.”

The second, third and fourth graders at Port St. Joe Elementary apparently love the running, or walking or even biking sufficiently to have logged some serious laps in what is known nationally as the Feelin’ Good Mileage Club.

“It is something that works on the obesity part that is so a growing problem among younger kids,” Gannon said. “This is getting them out, walking or running, building muscle mass, working their hearts.

“The kids really love it.”

The numbers speak to that attraction.

To date, the three grades at the elementary school have logged nearly 10,100 laps, or roughly 2,523.25 miles. The fourth-graders are out front with 3,837 laps, or 959.25 miles. The third grade is right behind with 819.25 miles representing 3,277 laps with the second grade close behind with 2.979 laps, or 744.75 miles.

“They have really gotten into it,” Gannon said. “We have one kid who has 125 laps. We have a couple over 100 laps.”

With 100 laps a students earns a gift card from the local Subway.

 Every physical education period the children are walked out to the track. That counts, round-trip, as one lap.

While on the track the students run, walk, jog or even dance their laps, with each lap checking in with Gannon or Jewell Hopper, the other physical education teacher at the school, to mark their laps.

For every five miles, or 20 laps, a student receives a prize of some kind.

Once they reach 20 miles, there is a toe token inscribed with “20 miles” that can be fastened to a shoe. Another 20 miles earns a snap bracelet.

“That’s what I am trying to do, get that snap bracelet,” said third-grader Kyndell Moore while showing off her toe charm.

“It’s great exercise,” Gannon said. “The kids go home and encourage their parents and talk about getting up and walking.

“It has taken off better than I expected.”

The effort is being funded by the grant from the Florida Department of Transportation, which is providing the funds for the charms and prizes for the three grades, seeing the program in part as a student safety effort.

School principal Melissa Ramsey is pursuing additional grant money to get the first- and fifth-graders involved.

“The fifth-graders have been seeing the fun the other kids are having and they can’t wait to be involved,” Gannon said.

The Feelin’ Good Mileage Club is the premier walking/running program in North American schools. Last year, more than 2.5 million children in nearly 20,000 schools logged almost 30 million miles.

The aim is to provide activity that reduces playground hassles, increases kids learning readiness and fight obesity.

The program focuses on motivating students to exercise, control their body weight, burn off excess energy, improve school performance and build self-esteem.