Girls on the run
PROSPECT — When the coronavirus pandemic put restrictions on how many people could gather indoors, many ventured outside for physical activities, such as running.
The Girls on the Run chapter at Moraine Elementary School, 350 Main St., had to cut its program short last year because of the pandemic, because it's not just a program about running. Its sessions are meant to teach lessons about self-confidence, emotional intelligence and social skills to girls in grades three through five.
“It teaches ... what can you do to relax, how can you choose your words carefully?” said Ashley Graham, head coach of Girls on the Run at Moraine Elementary. “I love that it focuses on social and emotional aspects.”
Graham and Paige Tudor, assistant coach of Girls on the Run, are both learning support teachers at Moraine Elementary, and spoke about the program at last week's meeting of the Slippery Rock Area School District School Board. They encouraged the board to support and promote the program this season after having to cut short last year's program.
Tudor said she believes Girls on the Run will be a good outlet to help students cope with feelings about the past year and will help them readjust to in-person interactions.
“This year I was excited to pick it back up and was thrilled we were still having it,” Tudor said. “The biggest thing I'm looking forward to is just some normalcy and for these girls to have some normal interactions with each other.”
The session will start in April and already is full, with 15 girls signed up to participate, Graham said. They will take part in activities that develop different skills and help the girls make friends with one another.
Tudor said these skills can be critical, not only for the students now, but for the rest of their lives.
“The biggest impact we hope to have is a sense of self-esteem and confidence,” Tudor said. “Third through fifth grade can be a little bit of a hard time for girls' confidence. This will give them lessons they can take through life.”
Each year's season of Girls on the Run is meant to culminate in a 5K run that brings together girls from chapters in multiple schools in multiple school districts, but Graham said this will not happen this year, again because of COVID.
However, Graham and Tudor encourage parents to look into the free program if they have girls heading into grades three through five for its physical and social-emotional benefits.
“It's not about the running; it's the friendships you create, it's the camaraderie,” Tudor said. “If I were to talk to a parent, it's really about the interpersonal skills and the friendships. I see the difference it makes and just the confidence it brings out of them in just a few weeks.”
