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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 2019)
FEATURES WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A13 S E T T I N G T H E P AC E Staff photo by E.J. Harris ABOVE: A group of McNary Heights Elementary fi fth-graders run around the perimeter of the school’s grass fi eld during recess on Monday while participating in the McNary Marathon in Umatilla. BELOW: Carol Clements uses a hole punch to mark student score cards as they complete a lap. By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN STAFF WRITER O n Monday morning, some students from McNary Heights Ele- mentary School ran at full speed around the perimeter of the school’s grass fi eld, while others took a slower approach. All of them were work- ing toward the school’s fi tness goals, as part of the 33rd annual McNary Marathon, which had started that day. The marathon is a two-week event, where stu- dents are encouraged to spend their 20-minute lunch recess doing laps around the fi eld. Mairiani Aparicio fl ew through the laps. The sec- ond-grader will start track this week, and said she is looking forward to getting better at the sport. “My favorite thing being out here is to run fast,” she said. While not all students were sprinting, most said they enjoy getting out and walking or jog- ging a few laps every day. Several of them set goals for themselves, to run a certain amount each day, or by the end of the two weeks. “I want to do 10 laps in one day,” said second-grader Ary- anna Banda. “The kids will fi ne-tune,” said Principal Rick Cotterell. “They pace themselves over the two weeks.” Each student is given a card, and adults are stationed at each corner of the fi eld to punch the card every time they com- plete a lap. Each student aims to complete a certain number of laps in the two-week period, to meet grade level standards. After the two-week event is over, school P.E. teacher Brandt Lind said they will have an assembly. Children who met the standard, as well as those who ran the most laps, get rec- ognized. Students also have the opportunity to win prizes for CRYPTOQUIP completing laps. He said the point of the event is to encourage all levels of fi tness, rather than to run a certain distance. Still, he said, there are students who will run the whole time, and cover a lot of ground. “If a fourth- or fi fth-grader can make it above 80 laps in eight days, essentially they’re doing a couple of miles each day, which is pretty impres- SUPER CROSSWORD: HALF WIT sive,” he said. Lind said they encourage the students to set personal goals. “It’s the idea that fi tness is an investment,” he said. “You put something in, and you get something back.” There are several run- ning-themed programs at McNary Heights. The Mar- athon happens every spring, and fi fth-grade teacher Frankie Garcia runs the McNary USA program, a cross-country team for students. The kids prac- tice every day during the fall, and once a week during track season. “We have some third- and fourth-graders who are really good,” he said. “Track starts this week, so this (the mara- thon) gets them excited and in shape.” Cotterell, who went to McNary Heights, said he remembers doing the McNary Marathon when he was a stu- dent. He said they hope to invest more in the program. “We’ve been working on a grant to put in a trail, so we wouldn’t have to put cones on the fi eld,” Cotterell said. “And I’d love in the future to look into some kind of technology to track laps and get rid of the cards.” Lind said he’s pleased the marathon has been such a suc- cess over the years. SUDOKU DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK EASTERN OREGON EVENTS The place to fi nd everything happening in Eastern Oregon. Post your events. It’s fast and easy! e-Edition For Hermiston Herald information 541-567-6457 • info@hermistonherald.com 333 E. Main St. • HermistonHerald.com Exact digital replica of this print edition is available online, every Wednesday by 5:30 a.m. Check out Hermiston Herald.com for more information.
