Alexander Valley students take up fitness challenge
Since the beginning of September, all the students at Alexander Valley School (AVS), 122 kindergarten through sixth grade children, have signed up to run, walk or skip 100 miles before the school year is up, with the goal of moving forward and having fun. The initiative is through a nationwide, nonprofit program called the 100 Mile Club.
AVS Physical Education Coordinator Tiffany Bellize is responsible for bringing the program to Alexander Valley, for the second year in a row.
Bellize said she started working with the school as a parent volunteer, and helped get more activity implemented at AVS, which hadn’t had a PE program for awhile. “I was done seeing the inactivity in the kids, so I started the 100 Mile Club and also started coaching a program called Girls on the Run, it was just to help get more activity at the school and get kids moving,” Bellize said.
Bellize said that students conquer the school track before school, during lunch and recess and after school, if there is a race. Participation in local races also counts towards mileage.
“If they do one to two laps every day, then they’ll reach the 100 miles no problem by the end of the year,” she said. Parents, teachers and staff can join in on the fun as well.
Bellize stands by the track and has a binder that she uses to record how far each student has gone. “They are very keen to tell me exactly how many laps they’ve done,” she said.
Students get a reward for every 25 miles they cover. Prizes are part of the program, and some prizes are purchased and given out by Bellize. Students get a t-shirt once they hit 25 miles, and there are increments of 25 on the back of the shirt that kids can mark off until they hit the 100-mile mark. The program supplies little rewards such as bracelets and pencils. Bellize will also purchase gift certificates, snacks and toys. There is a $10 fee to join the 100 Mile Club for the year, and Bellize said that parents and local wineries have donated money so that the entire school can participate. At the end of the year, students get a medal and a certificate with their mileage, as well as a celebration.
Bellize said that fifth grader Ayal Fichtelberg is the perfect example of how the program benefits students. “His mom and teachers said that once he started the program last year, he became more focused in the classroom and it became a great outlet for him,” she said. Fichtelberg also runs with a running club and completed more than 160 miles last year, the highest amount of miles in the school.
Fichtelberg said that he likes the 100 Mile Club because it’s fun and he enjoys running because it keeps him in shape and is also fun.
Bellize said that she hopes to spread the word and get the program going in other Healdsburg schools.
“I’m trying to inspire the kids. When I was growing up, running was always a punishment, in PE we got punished by doing laps … I just want them to find out how strong they are and how far they can go, and that activity is a good thing,” Bellize said.
As far as Bellize knows, AVS is the only school in the 100 Mile Club in Sonoma County.
Last year, there were 118 students enrolled in AVS and the 100 Mile Club. Bellize said that nine children went over 115 miles for the year, 15 kids reached 85 miles and the rest accomplished around 75 miles.
