You may find

elementary school students sticking around after school, either using

the playground equipment or serving some punishment for acting up in class.

You would never expect to find students showing up early for school, that

is unless they go to Oak Grove Elementary School in Peachtree City. Students

at Oak grove have been showing up early all year long to participate in

the Oak Grove Running Club.

Since the beginning

of the year over 240 students have participated in the program with an

average of 125 students showing up each day. They run laps and get marked

on the hand for each lap the complete. The running club meets every sunny

day that the temperature is over 50 degrees. Students that show up consistently

are awarded with a running club shirt and those who complete 100 laps

receive CiCi's Pizza.

The club is

the brain child of Teri Besch who wanted to form the club a few years

ago. Last year, the school received the track, which is 1/5 mile around,

and the program was finally feasible.

"It's

great for the kids because it keeps them healthy and forms good habits

for physical health," said Besch. "Plus, the teachers have noticed

that the children in the running club are ready to work when the day begins,

rather than taking a little while to wake up after school starts."

The average

students runs 5-7 laps a day and two students have run over 400 laps this

year. There were 100 students participating the first day and more students

join every day. Some teachers walk the track during the morning to keep

an eye on the students and even some parents are involved, volunteering

their time to help keep track of the laps that the students have run.

The Oak Grove

Running Club seems to benefit evry aspect of the school. The students

are dedicated to the program, working towards goals and staying physically

fit, the teachers have students who are ready to learn, and the administration

has no problem getting a number of students to class on time.

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