Over 70 Fourth Graders Kick Off 2 Day, 28 Mile Walk

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Today, 76 Moore Elementary fourth-grade students will continue a 22-year tradition and rite of passage by participating in a 28-mile walk through the historic Natchez Trace area in Williamson County. This two-day event will be led by veteran physical education teachers and chaperoned by parents, faculty, and staff, as the culminating activity of an 8-week training program.

The residents in neighborhoods adjacent to Moore Elementary are familiar with the spring training regimen with a little extra foot traffic on their streets as a long line of children, physical education teachers, and many of the 32 parent volunteers march past their houses in brightly colored vests almost every day after school.

Moore Elementary Walk 2This is the 24th anniversary of Moore Elementary’s annual “Walk to Wellness,” an opportunity to put fitness to the test, to forge bonds with other students, and to marvel at the nature that surrounds us here in Williamson County. The walk begins on Thursday, May 12, with a trek that leads the students to the Natchez Trace Parkway. At the end of the day, the 9- and 10-year-old road warriors will have covered 18 miles, approximately two-thirds of their journey. The final 10 miles culminate on Friday, May 13, with a grand school-wide welcome home, where underclassmen, faculty members and parents bump fists and slap hands with the returning walkers.

The Walk to Wellness is a passion of Moore Elementary physical education teachers John Parks, Kathy Clark and Tiffany Carlton and has been a true rite of passage for the school’s departing class each year. “We started this project years ago as a way to promote walking as the best form of exercise for better health and weight control,” Parks said. The students and parents sign a contract of commitment and the training begins. Although it is completely voluntary, there are very few who chose to forego the annual walk.

After 24 years, Parks said he and his fellow physical education teachers, Kathy Clark and Tiffany Carlton, continue to offer this walk “because it is a great project that allows ALL students the chance to set a goal, work toward that goal and accomplish that goal. They learn to work as a team and cooperate with their team. Whenever I run into a former student no matter their age they ask me ‘Do you still do that Walk?’ It is a memory they never forget.”

The students keep personal journals during the training where they record information about the weather and their surroundings, as well as any body changes they observe as they go through the training.

Principal Lisa Burgin said the walk is celebrated by the entire school as a way to honor the fourth-graders. “The walk has become a cherished tradition for our students and creates a wonderful memory.

The experience includes a personal journal, nutrition and fitness lessons, and a living history lesson along the Natchez Trace. Our entire community supports the endeavor and gathers together to cheer our walkers as they return to school at the completion of their journey.”

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