Jake Browning
reporter@thefranklinpress.com
A 5k is a great way to work off that Thanksgiving dinner, but that’s not why girls at South Macon Elementary School are preparing for the big run.
Girls on the Run is an Asheville-based school athletics program that prepares girls from grades three through eight to run a 5k.
Along the way, they learn lessons about self-care, social responsibility and being a positive part of the community. South Macon’s Girls on the Run coach, Faydra Miller, said her girls have spent this semester becoming not only better athletes but also better people.
“They practice and get better at running, but it’s also about what it means to be a girl and a person and a friend,” Miller said.
One of the most important parts of the program is organizing a service project. Every school with a Girls on the Run program is expected to set up a project to help someone in need. These projects are small in scale, but coach Lisa Hanna says that she’s been impressed with the initiative the girls have shown in getting their project together.
“The girls coming up with the project is a big part of the program,” Hanna said. “They’re all very passionate about it.”
The girls discussed a lot of different options for their project. They initially considered larger charities like the American Red Cross and efforts to alleviate recent national tragedies like Hurricane Dorian. In the end, however, they felt it was best to tackle an issue that affects many people they know in Macon County by helping Macon New Beginnings in the fight against homelessness.
“We chose Macon New Beginnings because some people don’t have money and don’t have the things that they want to have,” said team member Ashley Mendoza.
The team has stationed donation jars around the school for the past few weeks to collect coins for Macon New Beginnings in a drive called Change for Change. While they won’t count the money until the drive ends next week, they estimate that they’ve collected well over $100 in change.
This season of Girls on the Run will culminate on Sunday, Dec. 8 when the girls run their 5k at the Asheville Outlets. They’ve been practicing twice a week since September to increase their endurance in practice runs that are longer than they’ve ever run as part of their gym classes.
Team member Ilyssa Ezechel said that being part of Girls on the Run has given her a low-pressure environment to get better at running, which helps her stay motivated to run farther and faster.
“It’s really good for us to pace ourselves but also push ourselves,” Ezechel said.
Regardless of how the girls do in their 5k, they’ve all improved since the beginning of the season, and they’ve had a good time doing it.
Lana Walker said her time on the team has given her the chance to make friends and to just be herself.
“I like Girls on the Run because I can always say how I feel and it’ll be safe,” Walker said.
South Macon principal Allison Guynn said the program is an asset to her students and that it’s been a pleasure to see how far the girls have come since the school year started.
“Girls on the Run is doing great this year,” Guynn said. “We’re very proud of them.”
Anyone interested in contributing to Change for Change can still make a donation on the school’s campus through Monday, Dec. 9.