May 1, 2015 at 4:24 p.m.
Fight to the finish
Middle school holds annual run, tug-of-war
Fight to the finish
Bill Makris, a physical education teacher at JWMS, said the students always look forward to the annual event.
"It's been going on for as long as I've been at the middle school, so 25 years plus, and it was going on before I got there too," Makris said. "Lots of kids have participated in it through the years."
Preparation for the run begins months before the runners approach the starting line. In fact, Makris said it's a theme they stress throughout the year.
"It's something we work on starting in the first month of the school year," he said. "Every month, we have a timed run and we build it up, starting with 10 minutes to 12 minutes, 14 minutes, 16, minutes, 18 minutes and finally to 20 minutes. It's something they look forward to. It's springtime and they want to get outside. It's a time for them to be physically active, which is really good for them today. Research is showing that kids who are physically active do better in shool, participate and have fewer discipline problems. It's a real plus to be physically active."
After the race, the students returned to class until 2 p.m., when they began to file into the gym for the tug-of-war. Those who opted to participate separated into teams to patiently wait for their names to be called. Makris said it's the most anticipated part of the day and competition can be fierce.
"The tug-of-war is a lot of fun," he said. "It's loud and there's a lot of energy. There's a lot of excitement. It's the only time I don't mind a lot of noise in the gym. It's kind of a celebration of spring. The kids are fired up and excited. They just have a lot of energy built up from the winter and they're ready to let loose a little bit."
This year marks Makris's final year at JWMS and the last 3K run and tug-of-war he'll organize. Wednesday's event gave Makris an opportunity to reflect on his time at the school.
"Really, I'm just looking forward to the end of the school year, like you would any other year," he said. "I think of Deana Bigley, who started the tug-of-war here many years ago when she was a physical education teacher. I think of Sharon O'Leary, who started the 3K and the timed runs before I started teaching here. I think of the people and the legacy they've left behind. How it's continued has been very positive and has been a really great experience for the kids."
Now that his time is coming to a close, the matter of his own legacy comes to mind. For Makris, it's very simple.
"I want my legacy to be that I kept doing what those others started," he said. "I tried to do the best job I could."
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
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