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UNION GROVE HIGH SCHOOL MARATHON FOR EXCELLENCE
Putting our hearts on the line by Gabriel Crerie, Photos by Vanthony Smith
Gabriel Crerie at the Finish Line
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May 28, 2002 Teachers arrive to their ONE day of post-planning. Most years our faculty receives 3 or 4 days to wrap up the school year, but this year only ONE! Therefore, today the faculty will be working at race pace. The teachers of Union Grove High School are about to participate in the Union Grove High School Marathon for Excellence. For our teachers, this is nothing new. Today is the end a grueling 36 week school year marathon; that's 36 weeks of putting their hearts on the line to teach. And now a one-day race to finish grade verifications, pack away important belongings, to complete the end-of-the-year checklist, and for some to move to new classrooms or schools. With a 5 hour time limit (a good marathon time for most) the race is on! Wearing running shoes and comfortable clothes, the faculty arrives at our morning meeting. Each member receives a race number. The administration is also dressed in running clothes. I'm wearing my Austin Marathon 2001 T-shirt, Rodney Bowler (the principal) wears an Atlanta Half-Marathon T-shirt. Some important year-end information from Rodney is communicated, along with thanks, and praises. Then the course rules are given. "Welcome to the 2001-2002 UGHS Marathon, this is a relatively flat (no hills in the hallways of our one-story building) out-and-back course. We will soon move to the start/finish line. Please be listening for announcements of aid stations that will pop up throughout the course. Thank you for making it here, let's have a great race." We move to the starting line accompanied by Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run"...and we're off. The race clock starts and will tick until the last finisher crosses the line. Teachers busily scurry about the building getting all the final jobs done before a well-deserved summer break. At 9:30 a.m, about one hour into our marathon, the first aid station is announced. Teachers are told that it will be in the 100 hallway and the first group to come by will get a complimentary water bottle. The fastest group races toward the station for refreshments and prizes, but there's enough for even the back of the packers. All runners receive the food, drinks, and water bottles. The runners break for a few quick laughs and then they continue their diligent work. As we pass Kannouchi's London Marathon World Record time of 2:05:38, we announce the that the first 11 runners to show up at the second aid station, wearing running bibs with prime numbers, will receive a gift certificate to a local record store. With help from the math department we find our first 11 prime numbers. "No, 51 is not prime (3x17), and yes, 43 is." More food and drink and once again the staff is quickly on its way with more to do and less time to do it.  Today was a success! The faculty and staff focused on their work at hand and at around 4:50 on the clock, our finishers started making their way to the finish line. UGHS Marathon for Excellence T-shirts awaited them with our graduation test scores printed on the back 99% language arts, 97% mathematics, 95% social studies, and 88% science, all up from the previous year, and all excellent rates.  Trophies greeted each department for contributing to our many
successes this year. In the background the Doobie Brothers' "It Keeps You
Runnin'" blared from a boom-box. And what could be more fitting than a pasta lunch to reward and replenish the famished runners. Recognitions were given and door prizes awarded
to our racers. We all had a blast and felt great about a great school
year/marathon. The question becomes...how do we top this next year?...Keep working and keep putting your heart into making a difference for students. |
Note from Gabriel: The faculty and staff at Union Grove High School should receive tons of praise for making this end of the year celebration possible. Without the leadership of Rodney Bowler, events like this would not be possible at our school. Vanthony Smith (assistant principal) took the photos, Cindy George (assistant principal for curriculum and instruction) has created an atmosphere of instructional focus that has helped allow for our great academic success. And once again without the hard work of the teachers there would be no reason to have an end-of-the-year celebration. This day was a success because the great individuals that make up Union Grove High School.
Gabriel Crerie is an assistant principal at the Union Grove High School in McDonough GA. He's also a runner. Kudos to Gabe for telling us about this fun running-themed end of the year wrap up, to reward teachers for "putting their hearts on the line" all year in working with their students.
Union Grove's main focus is education and with today's demands on our teachers, there's not time for much else.
Note about the author: Gabe is training for two marathons. He'll run the Marine Corps Marathon in October and the Austin Marathon in February. And how does he find the time for all this? (He also has a family.) He runs in the wee early hours of the morning.
Gabriel also participates in the Ekiden Run which is a marathon relay. This year he hopes to have two teams (Edukiden, and the Blurs), which will be made up of competitive and recreational runners, some of whom are members of his school system. In the past members have included the school superintendent, a phys. ed teacher, special ed teacher, and another assistant principal. Perhaps some of his teachers caught the 'marathon bug' and will be asking to join him at Ekiden in late September.
But whether or not Gabe's staff members become real marathoners isn't the issue, but exercising for health and fitness is. Finding the time to exercise is a challenge for teachers with the ever increasing demands made upon us. KidsRunning.com is hoping that the staff at Union Grove High School, along with the other dedicated educators in our society, can find a way to build some stress-busting, healthy living exercise into their lives. Doing so will keep their hearts healthy so that they can keep putting their hearts on the line for our youth.
NOTE from CAROL: To be honest, Gabriel's piece was basically about education, academics, the great success his faculty members had this year TEACHING kids. However, it is just about impossible for me to edit, or read a feature without bringing in the NEED for exercise, particularly for teachers, since I am one. It's my hope that we can all find a way to add this needed activity to our lives, to refresh ourselves and be ready for our kids, to have self esteem and to be the best we can be. I know it takes discipline, but teachers have that part conquered. We ARE disciplined individuals by the nature of our job. I'm concluding this fun and inspirational piece by a quote from a Runner's World interview with President George W. Bush following the June 22, 2002 Fitness Challenge 3-Mile Race in Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
Bush is also a disciplined person and a runner. My hope is that his new HEALTHIER US fitness agenda, will help make it possible for us all to get in our exercise.
GEORGE W.BUSH: When I said I'm a disciplined person and believe in discipline -- for example, I go to work at a little before 7:00 a.m. every morning. I expect somebody to show up on time when I have a meeting. And I expect that I'll show up on time, as well. And running is just a part of that routine. In other words, there's no question in my mind I'll exercise. One way or the other, I'll get exercise.
Thanks to Amby Burfoot, RW for the lead on this article. Keep them coming!
