Lower School Girls Run Towards Big Goal
Barstow’s Girls on the Run team is building confidence, friendships and running skills as they prepare for their 5K race at the end of October.
Girls on the Run, a nonprofit organization with teams at schools across the country, focuses on confidence and self-esteem through goal-setting, teamwork and movement. Barstow’s team, new this year, includes 16 students in grades 3-5, coached by lower school teachers Jill Gilgus and Christine Torres.
The team meets after school twice a week for classroom activities and games focused on positive self-reflection and teamwork. In journal exercises and discussions, students consider what makes them unique, what words they would use to describe themselves and what “ingredients” they would include in a recipe that represents who they are. They also emphasize positive self-talk and encouragement of others.
After these activities, students head outside to run or walk laps on the track. They travel in opposite directions so they can encourage their teammates whenever they pass each other.
At the end of October, the team will join Girls on the Run participants from across the Kansas City area for a 5K race. The event celebrates everything the students have worked toward, including building their running skills and cheering each other on as a team.
