The Jaguar Jog

The girl's elementary school has the Jaguar as it's mascot. So naturally, a fun-run fund raiser would be named the Jaguar Jog. In this event, each grade runs around the bus turnaround in front of the school. The kids solicit funds from family and neighbors, estimate how many laps they will do individually and as a class, and then on the day of the run they jog their hearts out to meet or exceed their goals.

This year, the jog was on Friday, October 3rd. In Newberg, this day dawned gray with the threat of rain. With alternate downpour, sprinkles, and sun breaks, the weather stayed cool, perfect for runners.

Zoe's first grade class ran in the morning. They had 30 minutes of run time; in that time Zoe did 26 laps! She started out flying, then got tired and walked a few laps. But when she got her second wind, she cruised around and around like a true runner.

I was frustrated, going over my photos because I only have 2 photos with Zoe in them, and in both she is running away from the camera! When I admitted to her that I didn't get very many of her, and they are from the back, she smiled and said "I must have been running really fast!" Still, I wish I had been a bit more diligent because I took photos of every class, and managed to miss Zoe! So I took a photo of her at home to prove that she did the run!
What was great to see was the school spirit the kids showed off. They encouraged each other, had a good attitude even when it rained on them, and genuinely expressed accomplishment when hearing how many laps they ran.

Cassie's class ran for longer, as the 4th and 5th graders are bigger. In 45 minutes she did 30 laps, waving, jumping, and occasionally walking.

The event was really fun to watch. The PTO provided T-shirts for each kid and staff member, including the principal. Many parents showed up to watch, run, or walk along with their kids. The class who earned the most money won a pizza party, and the classes who met or exceeded their goals earned a popcorn party. Every class in the school earned the popcorn party this year!

Thanks again to all of you who gave money to the school! I know we are shy about asking everyone for money. If we forgot to give you a call about this, but you'd like to give a donation to the school, send me an email. They happily accept donations any time! The money goes for field trips, library books (this school is only 4 years old- it takes a long time to fill a library!), art literature programs, music, playground equipment, and reimbursing teachers for materials they buy out of pocket. The PTO has a $12,000 budget this year, and so far we've made $9,300!