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Clark School launches Let Me Run program for 3rd–4th grade boys
Summary
Principal Taylor and teacher Arthur Robichaud presented a new boys running and social-emotional program at James Clark School modeled on Girls on the Run; 10 boys completed a seven-week training culminating in a 5K and the program will run again in spring.
Principal Taylor and a teacher from James Clark School described a new boys running program, Let Me Run, during the Agawam School Committee meeting.
The program, presented by Principal Taylor and teacher Arthur Robichaud, is for third- and fourth-grade boys and mirrors the Girls on the Run curriculum by pairing running practice with social-emotional learning. Robichaud told the committee the group met twice a week for about 1½ hours, trained for seven weeks and that all 10 participating boys finished a 5-kilometer run before Thanksgiving.
Robichaud said the sessions mix running drills and games with conversations about teamwork and respectful competition. He described working with the school’s PBIS team and the principal to make the run a schoolwide event, including student-made signs and a walkathon component. Principal Taylor said the school will run the program again in the spring and welcomes guest volunteer coaches, including physical-education staff.
Why it matters: school officials said the program expands physical-education opportunities while deliberately teaching social-emotional skills in an outdoor, activity-based setting — an approach teachers said can be easier with an active cohort of students than inside a classroom.
Robichaud said the program was inspired both by Girls on the Run and by students asking for a similar experience for boys. The presentation included a short video of the students’ training and the 5K finish.
