Wright Walks!

Brent Watters, Mentor at Wright Charter School

With obesity rates steadily climbing through the United States, kids sitting out on P.E. activities is becoming more and more common. As the 6/7th grade mentor at Wright Charter School, I’ve encountered countless “I cant’s”, “I won’ts”, and of course, that blank stare they give you when you tell them to run a mile. But just when you think all hope is lost, in comes an engaging teacher with a new curriculum to throw on these couch surfers.

Mr. Tobes has started a new walking program at Wright. Students are being engaged to walk far distances to learn about their local area, culture, and more about their physical capabilities. Last week, I was invited to come along on the first walk for Wright, and I was ecstatic!

The 4-mile walk from Wright to RL Stevens Elementary School started with a bang. Kids were able to use water bottles donated to the school as well as countless snacks to keep them energized and motivated. We formed strict groups by classes and gave everyone an American Flag to symbolize the knowledge we will be receiving on this adventure, as well as a way to keep the kids in sight.

The troop was made up of 4th through 7th graders and not a single complaint was made the entire time. Even some of the older kids who clearly were hurting from the walk, bit their lip and kept on trucking through. We learned about flowers, geographical facts, and even where students lived just by taking this walk. An even better realization was when we got back and it had only taken us 3 and a half hours! That’s pretty good considering how fifteen minutes of strenuous activity is hard to get from these kids, let alone half a day's worth!

The best part was when we got back and saw all the tired faces of the kids we helped push along on this quest; we could see that they wanted more. Kids immediately started signing up for Mr. Tobes 8 mile walk in a few weeks and even went home saying “Gosh I had better start walking some more or I’m going to die on the big one!” If anything, just encouraging those kids to walk on their own time was reward enough from this experience.

The kids from Wright Elementary are very lucky to have such an interesting new program coming to them. Not only does it promote a healthy, active lifestyle, but it also gives them a huge sense of independence and accomplishment when they see they’ve walked to a place they thought they could only get to in the back of their parent's car. I know this mentor is excited for the next big walk, and I hope all of Wright Charter School will be too.