Lincoln Forms Chapter Of Girls On The Run

LINCOLN — Negative social impacts can jump- start adolescent girls into a habit of running from themselves, yet, Megan Harris is one of many parents, who would prefer to see her daughter embrace herself.

Harris and her daughter, Ava, who will start third grade next fall, are involved in the Lincoln chapter of Girls on the Run, which Harris describes as an all-volunteer, mentoring type program training girls to work up to a 5K run while emphasizing self-esteem lessons.

Harris, who teaches second grade at Lincoln, was asked to get involved by elementary principal, Marsha Hash, who along with another Lincoln elementary teacher, Carolyn Farrell, coached a team of 12 girls in the fall.

Rebecca Pugh, site coordinator for the program, coached a second team in the fall with Kimberly White, mother of a student.

“It began as part of our wellness, it’s a prevention program that encourages girls to develop healthy lifestyles and self respect,” Hash said.

Harris and Shannon Prater, who also teaches at Lincoln, led one of the spring sessions with support from Dr. Deborah Deere, a local physician on the staff of the Western Washington County Clinic.

The Lincoln chapter trained for a 5K run that was held May 12 on the cross country course at Shiloh Christian School at Springdale.

“The community support from parents and our local doctors are incredibly important,” Pugh said.

Pugh said the Lincoln chapter attracted 24 participants in the fall, while another 18 completed the spring semester.

According to Hash, Jamie Higby, another parent, has also coached.

“Anyone can be a coach as long they have training, there is a training you go through,” Hash said.

The Lincoln group attended an event at Arvest Ballpark in April where they met Girls on the Run founder, Molly Barker, who has authored two books, “Girls on Track: A Parent’s Guide to Inspiring our Daughters to Achieve a Lifetime of Self-esteem and Respect” and “Girls Lit From Within.”

According to Harris, the Lincoln group met two times a week working mostly on self esteem things such as bullying and how to handle yourself in different situations. Harris said the group has talked about how magazine advertisements are misleading in their portrayal of models that may negatively influence an image conscious social structure.

“They’re all touched up, people aren’t always like that,” Harris said, adding she thinks the program teaches girls a lot, including things they may not learn at home.

Harris is optimistic about her daughter getting to participate.

“It’s good for her to stay active and exercise,” Harris said.

Pugh said the Lincoln program is basically for third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students and is designed to help improve body image and self esteem.

“We do lessons on how girls know how to feel beautiful inside and out and how to deal with things like bullying and gossip,” Pugh said.

Throughout the 10-week curriculum, a lesson is always included with a physical activity whether the group runs or walks. Pugh said the girls don’t have to run and can walk.

“Clearly everybody is not capable of running a 5K,” Harris said, going on to say some of the girls slowly worked up to it.

“It’s not a big deal about who finishes first, but who finishes, that’s the message we push with the girls,” Pugh said.

Pugh said emphasis all throughout the curriculum was on teaching girls how to stand up for themselves and really appreciate their individual talents and their uniqueness.

“We want them to be proud of who they are,” Pugh said.

An appreciation for the opportunity has developed among those serving as mentors.

“It’s incredibly rewarding,” Pugh said, mentioning the program is supported by local and national sponsors.

“It’s been a great experience,” Harris said.