May 27, 2022:
Girls on the Run (GOTR) may sound like an athletic program designed to introduce young girls to competitive running, but it is so much more. While physical activity is an essential component of GOTR, it’s really a means to an end. The stated mission of this national program is to build social, emotional and physical skills in young girls, while encouraging healthy habits for life.
For 18 years, GOTR has made a huge impact at the Mettawee Community School (MCS). The program was initially launched under the guidance of current Mettawee School nurse and health instructor, Mandy Mayer. “Girls on the Run gives our girls self-confidence and an opportunity to celebrate each other,” says MCS Principal Brooke DeBonis. “I’ve seen amazing results, both as an educator and a mother.“
Girls on the Run serves as the overall title of two separate MCS programs. Third and fourth grade girls participate in the namesake Girls on the Run, which focuses on individual emotional growth. The fifth and sixth grade girls take part in Heart and Sole, where girls are inspired to work with their teammates to value what makes them unique and how to unleash that potential. In fact, some 90% of the Mettawee girls signed up to join Heart and Sole this spring season!
“On the first day each year, I emphasize to the girls that above all else, this is a safe space,” says Kelli Lewis, a paraprofessional at MCS, who has been a GOTR Mettawee leader for 17 years. She is now head coach of the school’s Heart and Sole program. “Here is where you can speak freely about how you feel, share your experiences and not be ashamed. The running and physical activities are just the icing on the cake.”
Each Spring at Mettawee, girls gather twice weekly for two months. At each session, the girls assemble in the school gym and discuss the lesson of the day. Then they stretch before heading out to the fields to run, skip, and walk laps.
A recent Heart and Sole practice, for example, concentrated on setting SMART goals. Instead of a vague idea, they were encouraged to make their goal SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound.
Once out on the fields, girls received a slip of paper with one possible goal clearly presented. The challenge was to think about the goal during their laps to determine if the stated goal was a SMART goal.
On this day, one runner received a slip of paper with the following, “Deal with my emotions better.” She knew it wasn’t a SMART goal, but saw an opportunity to create one for herself. “I have anger issues, (specific), I need to focus on not getting mad during the week (measurable), I can do this (attainable), it would make me a better person (relevant), and I can start this week (time bound).”
All the more impressive because she figured it out while running 15 laps around the field.
Lewis has plenty of help in leading the girls. “Each year, parents volunteer to serve as co-coaches during each practice,” she says. “The adult support is invaluable, but what the girls really enjoy are the former students, now in high school, who come back to serve as GOTR mentors.”
The high school mentors usually join the younger girls in their runs and walks. Says Faithe, a junior at Granville High School: “This program did so much for me. I love coming back to work with these girls. I spent almost half of my life at this school with these teachers and I want to give back.”
The coaches monitor the practice, calling out encouragement and handing out colorful elastic bands as the girls finish each lap. By the end of the day, hands proudly display 15 to 20 bands stretched out like spiderwebs, proof of their effort and achievement in setting goals.
Giving back to the community is a stated goal of both GOTR programs at Mettawee Community School. This season, third and fourth graders are gathering pet food, toys and treats to help Luck Puppies, an animal shelter in nearby Argyle, New York. The fifth and sixth graders are collecting diapers for Felicia’s Inc. that will distribute them to families throughout Bennington County. In fact, donations are appreciated and can be dropped off at MCS until Friday, June 10.
The group’s spring season culminates in a 5K Run by students, families and friends. This year’s event is Saturday, June 11, in Manchester. Mettawee participants autograph team tee-shirts, paint their faces, and make inspirational posters that are prominently featured along the course. Some girls run, others walk. Others do a combination of the two. “The 5K is not a race,” Lewis says. "It’s a celebration of reaching a goal. Everyone cheers on each participant as they finish. No one leaves early.”
