North Chicago Girls on the Run Youngsters will do better in the long run
Beth Kramer ekramer@stmedianetwork.com March 10, 2011 9:02PM
Sixth grade girls do a cheer after the Girls on the Run program.| Michael Schmidt~Sun-Times Media
GIRLS ON THE RUN PROGRAMS
Area Schools Participating
Libertyville — Adler Park, Rockland, Copeland Manor & Butterfield
Round Lake Area — Avon Center, Murphy & Indian Hill
Ingleside — Big Hollow
Barrington — Countryside
North Chicago — Forrestal & Novak-King
Grayslake — Frederick, Woodview & Grayslake Middle
Mundelein — Fremont Intermediate
Long Grove — Kildeer/Countryside
Highland Park — Lincoln, Red Oak & Ravinia
Zion — Shiloh Park
Deerfield — South Park
Gurnee — Woodland Intermediate
Area Park Districts Participating
Article Extras
Updated: May 10, 2011 4:47AM
The athletic program for grade-school students in North Chicago begins in seventh grade.
As a result, sixth-grade students at Novak-King School (the school for sixth-graders in the city) such as Brianna Knights and Kiananiy Gill are too young by one grade level to get involved with school sports.
According to John Offner, principal at Novak-King, if any of the Novak-King’s students want to play a team sport through the school, they have to try out for the seventh-grade team. which is based out of another school.
That’s one reason Offner is pleased to offer, for the first time, the Girls on the Run program at Novak-King.
“We picked it because there are not many team sports available in sixth grade. This has the track piece and the self-esteem piece,” Offner said.
Girls on the Run is a program for girls age 8-13. The program combines training for a 3.1-mile running event with self-esteem enhancing and improved physicall conditioning through workouts.
The goals of the programs are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development.
The new program is so popular that there is a waiting list for participation, in case one of the 15 girls has to withdraw.
Girls on the Run originated in Cook County and has spread throughout the greater Chicago area. It was founded in 1996 and seeks to prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living, according to the organization’s Web site.
The program will culminate with everyone from the Chicago area programs getting together on June 4 in Chicago for a 3.1-mile run. More than 120,000 participants are expected from 195 total locations.
Novak-King is among 24 schools and one park district in Lake County participating in Girls on the Run.
“I wanted to do this because I wanted to lose some weight, and I wanted to do this with my friends,” said Knights.
She said she has never run a 3.1-mile race before, nor has her friend Gill.
“I wanted to see what it would be like. It’s a good group — it’s a lot of girls to be friends with,” Gill said.
District band instructor Hilary Strauch and reading teacher Nicole Barraga volunteered their time to coach the girls two nights a week. They held their first meeting last Tuesday.
“I’m an avid runner and I thought it would be a fun, good way to meet more students in the building,” Strauch said.
She is preparing to run a half-marathon herself. Fellow coach Barraga said she is not a runner and hopes to inspire the girls to train for the upcoming race.
“Because I’m a classroom teacher, I see the girls every day. They get to see me now in a different capacity,” Barraga said.
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