Running, walking, skipping ... every form of personal propulsion was used by students and staff at Farmington Elementary School on Friday, as the annual jog-a-thon was staged to raise money for field trips.
Despite the soaring temperatures that greeted participants for the early afternoon jog, the students put their best feet forward and gave it their all, lapping the playing fields at the school for an hour.
"They do pledges per lap or straight donations," explained Farmington Elementary Principal Bob Amato, who was also taking his turn walking with students. "The money raised is dedicated to transportation costs for field trips for the year. This event allows these kids to enjoy at least two field trips per year per student."
Last year, about $1500 was raised through the jog-a-thon and Amato said roughly 150 students were taking part in Friday's event. The kids circling two separate tracks - the inside lane reserved for the lower grades and the slightly longer, outside track for upper grades - were clad in a variety of Farmington Roadrunner T-shirts, some from jog-a-thons past, some designed for this year's event and others wearing their regular school T-shirts.
"The PTC (Parent Teacher Club) donates a bottle of water for each child, they've got their name on them," Amato noted.
Alternately stepping off the track to urge students on and encourage them to go around again, then getting back on for another lap himself, Amato said having the students gather pledges and then walk the laps gives them a real sense of accomplishment. They know, he said, that their hard work will pay off down the road in the form of field trips and it will be something they helped earn.
"It's going to pay the bill for this year," he said of the money raised in the May 15 jog-a-thon.
Teachers and parent volunteers served as the hole punchers, with students stopping at their designed spot on the track for each lap around, getting another hole punched in their name tag. That way, students that secured pledges by the lap would have a final tally of laps completed.
"We just couldn't do it without the Parent Teacher Club," Amato said of putting on the event. "They are so supportive of our kids and just a great group of parents."
Despite the soaring temperatures that greeted participants for the early afternoon jog, the students put their best feet forward and gave it their all, lapping the playing fields at the school for an hour.
"They do pledges per lap or straight donations," explained Farmington Elementary Principal Bob Amato, who was also taking his turn walking with students. "The money raised is dedicated to transportation costs for field trips for the year. This event allows these kids to enjoy at least two field trips per year per student."
Last year, about $1500 was raised through the jog-a-thon and Amato said roughly 150 students were taking part in Friday's event. The kids circling two separate tracks - the inside lane reserved for the lower grades and the slightly longer, outside track for upper grades - were clad in a variety of Farmington Roadrunner T-shirts, some from jog-a-thons past, some designed for this year's event and others wearing their regular school T-shirts.
"The PTC (Parent Teacher Club) donates a bottle of water for each child, they've got their name on them," Amato noted.
Alternately stepping off the track to urge students on and encourage them to go around again, then getting back on for another lap himself, Amato said having the students gather pledges and then walk the laps gives them a real sense of accomplishment. They know, he said, that their hard work will pay off down the road in the form of field trips and it will be something they helped earn.
"It's going to pay the bill for this year," he said of the money raised in the May 15 jog-a-thon.
Teachers and parent volunteers served as the hole punchers, with students stopping at their designed spot on the track for each lap around, getting another hole punched in their name tag. That way, students that secured pledges by the lap would have a final tally of laps completed.
"We just couldn't do it without the Parent Teacher Club," Amato said of putting on the event. "They are so supportive of our kids and just a great group of parents."
