What group can travel by foot more than halfway around the world in 2.5 hours? 'Can’t be done', many say.
Well, it can be done--and it was done by a group of Richmond Hill elementary school students who participated in the Richmond Hill Miler Club.
The Miler Club was established in the 2018-19 school year by Richmond Hill track and cross-country coach Levi Sybert as a way to get K-5 students to be less sedentary and establish more healthy lifestyle habits.
Richmond Hill has five elementary schools, each unique in its own way. McAllister and Frances Meeks, for example, are Pre K-5 schools. Richmond Hill Primary is Pre K through first grade, Richmond Hill Elementary is Grades 2-3 and Carver is Grades 5-6.
The program calls for students, each with their own unique barcode to track their laps, to run, walk or jog on five designated recess periods. The ultimate goal is to log 12 miles but perks can be earned for each two miles covered.
In the first year McAllister was the only school to participate and it had 13 students covering 12 miles. The next three years – there was no program in 2021 due to Covid – the numbers were six, 12 and 12.
Then in 2023 things started taking off as the number jumped to 28 with all five schools participating. Last year it doubled to 56 and this year the needle moved even more as 87 kids covered 12 or more miles. Out of 3,401 students who were eligible to participate this year 3,231 did so and they logged 14,558.75 miles.
The designated recess periods were Nov. 22, Dec. 6, Dec. 13, Jan. 10 and Jan. 17 which meant kids voluntarily gave up play time in order to run. And not necessarily in ideal weather.
The 87 who hit the 12-mile mark were invited to the high school where Sybert and members of the track team guided them through a series of activities which challenged their strength, stamina and smarts. They then got lunch before returning to their schools.
“Forever running was seen as a form of punishment,” Sybert said in explaining some of the motivation behind the program. “We wanted to reverse that behavior. Kids DO want to be active, they do want to be responsible, they want to actually do this.
“They want to have goals, work toward and do positive things,” Sybert said. “This enables them to work toward them without Mom and Dad deciding we’re going to do it. No one is driving them to practice. They choose to do it on their own.
“They feel better, they sleep better, they’re happier. All of these things are ingrained in them. I think McAllister has done a phenomenal job and created competition within the school and encouraged the kids to be active.”
McAllister, with an enrollment of nearly 1,100 students, led the pack as it has every year by covering 6,301.50 miles. Frances Meeks had 3,371, Richmond Hill Primary 2,987.25 and Richmond Hill Elementary 1,805.
Tiffany Hursey, a teacher at McAllister and the school’s liaison with Sybert, gives credit for the school’s high participation and achievement rate to its teachers.
“They’re great cheerleaders,” said Hursey who has taught 25 years and has been at McAllister since it opened. “I just encourage them to encourage their students.
“We also have pizza parties for our highest earning and achieving class,” Hursey said. “They’re super competitive with one another because they want to be in the top class in their grade level so our kids get really excited.
“They love going out there and running during their recess time.”
MES student Briar Cooper this year became the first student in the history of the program to eclipse the 20-mile mark when he logged in at 20.75. Cooper was also McAllister’s top runner last year when he posted 17 miles. Grady Puskar was a mile behind at 19.75 and Andrew McClure checked in with 19.0 miles.
“We have a great support system with our admin, our families and just really great kids,” Hursey said. “I feel our kids have tons of energy and this is a great outlet for them to get that energy out. It’s creating healthy habits for a lifetime.”
Grady Puskar is a part of the running Puskars. There has been a Puskar participating every year since the start of the program beginning with Lucy in 2018 and followed by Penny, Audrey and Grady.
Penny had 14.25 miles this year marking the third straight year she had topped the 12-mile mark. Grady logged 12.75 last year. All told the Puskars have posted 148.75 miles, 54.75 by Penny.
The top two classrooms at MES belonged to Madisen Thomas, fourth grade, with 219.50 miles and Teresa Caldwell, fifth grade, with 204. The top two at Frances Meeks were Lisa Justino, fourth grade, 169.25 and Sheri Hickin, first grade, 165.25.
At Richmond Hill Primary Brianna Canale’s first grade class had 105.25 and Janet Benedict’s first graders had 95.75 while at Richmond Hill Elementary Mary Katherine Longo’s second graders posted 126.50 miles and Jacqueline Wade’s third graders had 117.25. All mileage figures were taken from those posted at rhxctf/miler-club.com
