Stories And Inspiration

Bond Reaches Beyond Track at Rockingham School

Submitted by Anonymous on Apr 24th 2014 - 9:00AM. | Perma Link

Bethany Elementary GO FARAnna Quarles didn’t need for anyone to sing the praises of GO FAR to her. After participating in the club for four years at other schools, she knew the benefits. She had seen the smiles. Last fall when she moved to teach at a new school in Rockingham County, which didn’t have a GO FAR program, Quarles knew she would start one.

“Bethany Elementary is such a community-oriented school, and I knew this program would have a lot of involvement from students and community members,” Quarles said. She was right. On top of the 132 students who train each week, 20 parents and 10 teachers join as well.

It’s a tight group. Over the course of training, students have formed a bond with one another that Quarles sees in the halls at school. “They get a sense of joy and belonging at GO FAR,” she said. “They have a great time running and they feel that they belong to this unique group of students. The best part is when you see kids of different grade levels saying hello to each other all because of the bond they have formed at GO FAR.”

The group also has some participants from a self-contained special needs class. “It is truly what inclusion is all about and it is amazing to see the other students embrace these kids,” Quarles said. Encouragement is a big part of the team. One of the students loves to hand out high-fives when he passes other runners; they love to get them. Students from the class also hand out snacks and lead stretches. “I think my students see these special needs students and realize that anything is possible. The special needs students are always so happy and positive, which my other runners see and then respond in the same way.”

Quarles believes her students have gotten a lot from GO FAR. She said many of her students tried out for other clubs but didn’t make the cut. “Running is something that anyone can do and be successful at,” she said. “When I told my students that by the end of GO FAR they would be running 13 minutes without stopping, they looked at me like I was crazy. We are now up to running 10 minutes and I have had so many students tell me that they never thought they would be able to run that long.

“They get such satisfaction by looking back to where they started to see how far they have come.”

Bethany Elementary students will participate in the GO FAR 5K and One-Mile Fun Run in Rockingham County on Saturday.fun running GO FAR

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