Running for Their Schools

PS and IS Students Give Back During the Fun Run

By Jillian Daley

North Marion K–5 students relish the annual Fun Run school fundraiser, rushing around the track last week with happy shouts.

It’s not easy for everyone to propel themselves around a track for 20 minutes, even for kids. So what is it that makes the Fun Run … fun? 

“Because it’s called a Fun Run!” first-grader Scarlet Van Dusen said.

Besides the joy of the name, there are also assemblies when teachers get coated with green goo and ice water and spirit activities such as Pajama Day and Wacky Socks Day. And, of course, kids love an outlet for their seemingly endless stores of energy.

“I get to run a lot of miles,” first-grader Xander Robinett said, “and because my favorite superhero is the Flash, and I want to be as fast as Flash.”

The Fun Run Runners

During the event, students, divided by grade level, tear around the track as many times as they can in 20 minutes on a specific day, this year on Sept. 29. Both schools started their Fun Run campaigns last week and will continue collecting donations through Monday, Oct. 17 (See below for details on how to give). The funds will go to PE equipment at both schools and also playground equipment at the Primary School. 

However, even if this weren’t an amazing opportunity to raise funds for the schools, it’d be good for kids.

“They’re being active and having fun while doing it,” parent volunteer Leah Van Dusen said.

A few adults joined students on the track, including PE Teacher Matthew Prom, who logged 35 laps (10 miles) throughout the day. 

“I’m the example,” Prom said. “If I’m doing it, there’s no reason for them not to!”

However, watching the children brought its own joy. Parent volunteer Dalia Torres was beaming as her 3-year-old, Antonio, bounced down the track and her first-grader, Aleyah, demonstrated a gift for sprinting.

“They’re super happy,” Torres said. “It makes them want to run more and more, especially the prizes, including breakfast with the Principal.” 

The Slimy Assembly

Although the kids were the main runners, adults were called upon to participate in a big way during an assembly at the Intermediate School on Sept. 30. Prom, along with Fifth-Grade Teacher Casey Meador and Principal David Sheldon stepped on stage in front of the entire school and gave the kids a memory for life.

Meador stood on a tarp while her class surrounded her and let loose a barrage of Silly String. She was rewarding her class for reaching its goal of having the most laps of any class in the school. She tied with Fifth-Grade Teacher Bethany Stoltz, who couldn’t make it Sept. 30 and so endured the terror of  Silly String on Oct. 5. 

“Though being circled by students equipped with silly string and crazed grins was slightly unsettling, getting covered in Silly String was a fantastic celebration of the hard work they put into running their laps — a small price to pay for a victory!" she said.

Later, to reward the students for exceeding their running goals, Prom and Sheldon both suffered an event greater torment than Silly String, also on stage in front of the whole Intermediate School! 

• Prom knelt in a kiddy pool as children who’d run the most doused him with ice water, with chunks of the chilly stuff banging the top of his head.
• And Sheldon also stepped into the kiddy pool and got slimed by some strong runners. Students dumped buckets of a green gooey mixture, which oozed dramatically over his face.  

Meador, Prom, and Sheldon all bore the experience with silent grace, smiling afterward at the cheering crowd. 

Sheldon and Prom had similar responses to the experience, both saying something over the shouts of the crowd that mostly sounded like, “Ahh!” but may have been more detailed.

The Results

The students had earned the show, after all, kicking off the fundraiser with a ton of laps. Students jogged many a lap:

• Intermediate School: 
  • 1,928 laps for the whole school
  • Top Classes: Fifth-Graders Teachers Casey Meador and Bethany Stoltz’s classes with 135 laps
  • Top third-graders: Nathan Ellworth, 9 laps; and Aria Young, 8 laps
  • Top fourth-graders: Bowen Bones, 10 laps; and Ellie Banaka, Luna Semerikov, Brinlee Parent, Juliette Nelson, and Raegan Sells, all ran 8 laps each
  • Top fifth-graders: Jayden Young, 10 laps; and Jenny Villalta Funez and Lauren Holbert, 9 laps
• Primary School: 
  • The Primary School doesn’t track laps.
• Stay tuned for details on what the schools raise during the fundraiser!

The Many Ways to Give

• To donate to the Primary School or the Intermediate School:
  • Pay with cash, check or card.
  • Drop off funds at the front desk of the school to which you are donating.
  • For details about the Primary School Fun Run, call 503-678-8500.
  • For details about the Intermediate School Fun Run, call 503-678-7120.
  • Note: Students will ask for a blanket donation or will fix a price per lap. 

To share stories on the North Marion School District, email Communications Specialist Jillian Daley at jillian.daley@nmarion.k12.or.us.