Richards Students Hit the Ground Running

Four years ago, Richards School teacher Amy Knox had an idea to share her love for running with fourth and fifth grade students.

The Richards running club started small with 25 students and help from her fellow teachers Keith Sohr and Kevin Lazovik, but now in its fourth year, the club boasts 100 student runners, as well as six teachers and six parents volunteering their time. The group meets every Thursday during the month of May.

"I wanted to inspire young kids to start a healthy habit," Knox said. "The whole idea is to get outside after school with students, teachers and parents together, and getting the kids to value exercise. We also talk to them about how running can cross over into baseball, basketball and the other sports they play."

After some stretching, the kids broke up into three skill level groups and then hit the streets of Whitefish Bay. The kids in the advanced group are training to run six or seven miles by the end of the month.

"It’s incredible to see a long stretch of kids running on Berkeley or Lake Drive," Knox said. "People stopped and stared. One two-year-old girl stopped, looked up at her dad and said 'I want to be in running club.'"

In addition to encouraging active lifestyles in young students, the running club has also led some students to take a particular interest in running, going on to participate in middle school cross country and track.

Knox said the volunteer teachers and parents are all runners, so they are able to coach the kids how to improve their ability. Every stride of improvement gives the kids added confidence, she said.

“We teach them how to run faster and further so they can see they can do it," she said.

And, as many runners know, jogging with a others breeds a certain comraderie, allowing students, teachers and parents to bond outside of the classroom.

"This way they can extend their socialization with each other beyond school hours, and they also see their teachers in different light," she said.