New Tara Elementary track jogs students' enthusiasm

Tara Elementary School students have a new outlet for their energy: a real running track.

The 0.15-mile clay- and shell-covered oval circling the school’s outdoor recreation area may not seem that exciting to someone else, but teachers and students at the school are happy for the upgrade.

“The kids are so excited,” said PE teacher Amy Teta. “It’s great to see them so excited about working out.”

The need for the track came after the Tara PE teachers started a running club last year for students and parents who wanted to get involved. The group met twice a week before class started — and it was a huge hit.

Unfortunately, the runners didn’t really have anywhere to run except circles around the grass field behind the school. The ground had a lot of bumps and dips, and the group dug in a muddy track around the field, which made it unusable after rains. The teachers approached the principal and asked him to reach out to the Manatee County School District to find out if the school could get a better track surface.

Vic Herbert, vice principal, said that the district had already planned to install a new underground drainage system at the school, which required of yard work and re-sodding. The former system was outdated and lead to frequent flooding on campus. The construction project damaged some of the field area where the running club used to run in the grass, so Herbert and Principal Steve Royce asked the district to look into installing new track while the existing field was being repaired — and the district agreed. The track cost about $10,000 out of the $300,000 drainage project, said Mike Barber, spokesman for the district. The track was laid down and finished the week before school began in August. 

The running club doesn’t start until November because of the heat, but students are still getting some use out of the track. The PE teachers are teaching students about running with a purpose to develop endurance and focus on pacing, and have the kids run laps when the weather permits. The teachers are also using the track as an outlet for students who are more energetic — they’ll send the fidgety students out with the PE teachers to walk or run a lap or two around the track. When they come back to the classroom, they’re more able to sit in their seats and focus, said PE teacher Linda Haluska.

“They’re sitting so long in class these days,” she said. “We want the students to know how important healthy lifestyles are.”

Runner’s club will kick off Nov. 3. After that, the group will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays before class. Students can record their miles to get awards and even some fun shoe charms to show off their accomplishments. Parents can help by volunteering, although some choose to run with their kids.

“It was so successful — we get the kids and parents involved,” Haluska said.