The 429 members of Trailside Elementary’s Mileage Club have already logged 2,924 miles so far this year. On Nov. 21, the students logged 140 miles, despite the rain and the wind.
The program, sponsored by the school’s PTO, is a running/walking club that encourages students to get exercise during their lunch recess. The PTO encourages teachers, parent volunteers, and younger siblings to join in the run. Some 46 students have already run more than 13 miles and are considered “All Stars.”
“The amazing Jess Lerner moved to Park City this past summer from a school in Colorado that had a Mileage Club. After becoming our PTO vice president of Health and Wellness, she introduced the idea to us,” said Megan Luckan, co-PTO president at Trailside this year with Melanie Smith. “We were so taken with the idea of fostering continued group activity at recess, and the physical and mental health benefits of the exercise, that our PTO Board voted unanimously to have her start it.”
Parent volunteers help set up and take down, cheer runners on, hand out awards and track laps.
The Mileage Club offers students the opportunity to build self-esteem, improve their health, and experience their own personal power. Based on a non-competitive philosophy, the Mileage Club focuses on the completion of both personal and collaborative goals.
This is the last week of the Mileage Club, with runs planned for Tuesday and Thursday (Nov. 28 and 30), from 11-12:30 p.m. Once students have completed four laps they receive a charm. This week’s charm is a snowman.
Thanks to the PTO & the school for doing this. Congrats to the kids too! The US is only 2,800 miles from coast to coast.