BERNARDSTON — Give a turkey a megaphone, and you get words of encouragement, not gobbling, at Bernardston Elementary School.
And, you can hold the stuffing for these physically active students who participated in a Turkey Trot short road race on a crisp Wednesday morning. Students, joined by their families in some cases, culminated a cross country running event facilitated by physical education teacher Sue Scott.
Dressed up as a turkey herself, Scott explained that the students have been running the perimeter of the school grounds for weeks, learning about training and trying to better their times each run. Also participating in the run were students from district schools of Warwick and Leyden, who were bussed in for the fun event.
Students were encouraged to bring in a canned good as an entrance fee to benefit the Franklin County Survival Center in Turners Falls. Other students participated in a trot-a-thon, taking pledges from parents and friends to raise money for the Boston Children’s Hospital. And some students, who were not able to participate in the actual race, got to run a virtual race, paired with a runner on a video feed.
The whole time, Scott, head turkey, was on the megaphone praising and shouting to finish strong as they trotted, ran or walked across the finish line. The Pioneer Valley Regional School’s mascot, a panther, was there in costume to high-five students and adults as they crossed the finish line. After the race, runners were given snacks and were recognized for their improved times, receiving charms for their efforts.
