Provided by Prince William County Schools (PWCS)
The Henderson Huskies Running Team at Henderson Elementary have been awarded an $800 grant from the Road Runners Club of America. The school was one of 42 programs in the country to receive the Kids Run the Nation grant.
Brianne Williams, a Henderson Elementary School parent, is the director for the Henderson Elementary Running Team. One of the many hats she wears is overseeing donations for the team. Williams began researching grants and was able to find some for use in health and fitness. Fellow parent Rebecca Ruster volunteered to write the grant proposal.
Principal Suzanne Bevans said, “Our parents look around and notice what needs to be done to improve our school and then get after it. We love our Henderson families!”
The team of third- through fifth-grade students meets to practice twice a week before school for about nine weeks in the spring. During the practices, which are entirely coordinated by parent volunteers, the students learn about strength workouts, building endurance running, hill running, overall cardio fitness and team camaraderie. They even participate in a 5K event hosted by the school.
The team has not yet decided how they will use the grant money, but ideas include purchasing uniforms, equipment, snacks for team meeting days and student journals. Some of the money may also be used to help offset the cost of team registrations for events in which the team is planning to participate.
