STRIDES Week 2 Wrap-Up

We've now completed week two of STRIDES and delivered four sessions to 10 students at Olympic High School. It's been great to begin deepening our relationships with the students and getting a feel for what engages them in the classroom and motivates them during our physical activity sessions.

This week's sessions presented us with similar challenges to those that we faced during week one. Two new students were added to the health class, so we spent a small amount of time explaining the program we developed for their class and taking questions. While this again affected the amount of time we had for physical activity, we tried to be mindful of time to ensure that students would have adequate time to complete the activities we planned for them.

We also learned to be flexible during the physical activity component, as new participants can change the dynamic of the group. It can be challenging trying to predict the energy level of individuals and how that will affect the group; however, we're hopeful that our lessons on goal setting will be instructive for us as well as for the students. This will give all participants the opportunity to think about their personal goals for STRIDES - as it relates to completing a 5k - and share these goals with the group. Anne and I will then be able to tailor certain activities to meet the group's needs, brainstorm stepping stones to reach the students' individual goals, and provide motivation throughout the program.

It goes without saying that the highlight of our week was when one of our students entered the classroom and greeted us with, "This is why I look forward to Mondays and Wednesdays!" (It should be noted, though, that the runner up highlight was when one student guessed that the distance we completed during a physical activity session was only a quarter of a mile when we had actually done a combination of running and walking for a mile and a half.)

We look forward to continuing to share our progress with you as we work toward the STRIDES Community 5k Run/Walk on November 21.