More than just running

Young runners at College Park Elementary School are learning the relationship between fitness and nutrition at an innovative lunchtime program in which parents also have joined in the fun.

During the school’s monthly lunchtime track runs, it has begun adding Network for a Healthy California fruit and vegetable distributions.

While the school’s kids run, jog and walk to songs like “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” they stop between laps to try out a new produce selection.

“It’s a great partnership because it gets the kids thinking about the relationship between the two,” Principal Julie McCormick said. “And we’ve had so many parents coming out this year.”

In order to further engage the parents who run with their kids, the school plans to hold cooking classes starting in January on early-release school days.

“We try to get kids and their parents to eat more fruits and vegetables and be more active,” said Geoff Ianniello of the school district’s nutrition services department. He meets with kids each month during the run to give food samples and teach them about the network’s food of the month.

Some produce items, like berries, are a smash hit for the kids; in other months, Ianniello has to sell the food a bit. This month’s treat was a cold bean salad that raised eyebrows; kids recently were given cups of hummus to try in their classrooms. Next month’s selection, oranges and grapefruit, is expected to be a winner.

The run originally was for third grade and up, but has since been extended to all kids from kindergarten to sixth grade.

Along with nutrition and fitness, teachers like Michelle Hanscom say they also instruct their students about good hygiene, hand washing and other elements of health.

Participants can use miles run toward a countywide kids run, and each lap is added to a running total. Top runners are honored at flag ceremonies, and there are prize drawings for parents who run.

Each grade also competes for a perpetual trophy and bragging rights.

“Some of the kids run over 50 miles in a year,” Ianniello said.