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Several students and teachers hit the blacktop on Oct. 29 at Johnson Street Global Studies. Some walked. Some jogged. Some of them made the laps solo. Others chatted with friends.

Each week, 50 students and eight to 10 staff volunteers meet for an hour of education about nutrition, exercise and character building, then head outside for some laps.

The group is participating in the school’s Go Far program.
In just six months, Johnson Street Global Studies’ Go Far program grew from eight students to 50.

The program, which stands for Go Out for a Run, seeks to teach children about nutrition and the importance of exercise. It was started by physician assistant Robin Lindsay in 2003.

“I wanted to give kids an opportunity to socialize while being active in a nonthreatening environment,” said Michelle Bode, school coach and physical education teacher. The group is open to the school’s third- through eighth-graders.

Three of the school’s original eight Go Far participants have returned this year. Fifth-grader Emily Howell, 10, is one of them. “My parents encouraged me to do it,” Emily said of joining Go Far last year. “I thought if I did it last year, I could do it this year.”

Emily said she ran the whole distance last year. “My tummy hurt,” she said of crossing the finish line. But one thing she’s learned — “Don’t complain when you run or you’ll slow down.”

This is the second run for fifth-grader Brianna Owens, 10, too. “I’m trying to lose weight,” she said. She thinks the program is fun. “I wanted to do it again.”

Her goal is to run and walk in intervals — run 12 minutes and walk 10 minutes.

This is the first year for Ryan Darden, 9½. The fourth-grader is glad he joined. “You get to run around and have fun,” he said.

Ryan’s dad is going to run with him in the race. Ryan plans to jog the whole way.

He said he didn’t learn much during the education sessions. “I already knew what was good for me,” he said.

Lindsay challenged his knowledge. “Yogurt and bananas,” Ryan said for examples of good snacks.

“What’s in yogurt?” Lindsay asked.

“Calcium and vitamins,” Ryan said.

Lindsay cheered.

Ryan said veggies are good for you, too. Broccoli is his favorite.

“I don’t place any stipulations on them,” Bode said. “I just want them to have fun with it. I just want them to do their best.”

That also means the students don’t have to run the whole race if they don’t want to or can’t.

Kym Gould, the school’s magnet coordinator, said she and other volunteers would walk with students who don’t want to run.

Fourth-grade teacher Hunter Yancey and social worker Vanessa Eichman are staff volunteers.

“I think when you get involved with this, you get more respect from the kids,” Yancey said. “It goes a long way in the classroom.”

Lindsay said the program added 10 schools this fall — creating a total of 30 schools participating. She’s expecting 800 or more people to participate in the race. Six hundred people ran in the spring and 500 last fall.

The race will be Nov. 14, rain or shine.

“What is neat about it is the family component,” Lindsay said. “It’s something you can do with the kids and emulate what you can do to be active.”

“As long as you move, that’s all that matters,” Bode said about the message the program sends to youngsters.

Contact E.A. Seagraves at 883-4422, Ext. 241, or elizabeth.seagraves@news-record.com