Bruins on the Run, the successful after-school mentoring and running program established by the Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation and Run the Streets, will extend its program with a spring session for the 86 fifth-graders and 48 teacher-mentors who participated in the fall.
The expansion of the program is made possible in part by a generous contribution from the Truity Education Foundation and a grant from the Bartlesville Community Foundation.
The students will train throughout February and March, running with their teacher-mentors in the Central Classic 5K on Feb. 29 and the Klife Run the Ville 10K on March 28. The Bruins on the Run participants will qualify for the Oilman Triple Challenge, having completed a 5K, 8K and 10K within a year. The coveted Oilman Triple Challenge medals will be awarded at the March 28 Run the Ville race.
The innovative Bruins on the Run program began in the fall of 2018 at two Bartlesville elementary schools, matching fifth-grade students with teacher-mentors. After the success of the first year with 30 students and 12 mentors, the program expanded to all six Bartlesville elementary schools with 86 students and 48 teacher-mentors participating in the fall of 2019. They ran in two 5K races and one 8K race this past season.
BPSF relies on a partnership with Run the Streets and the Richard Kane YMCA, as well as support from Mary Martha Outreach, Brown’s Shoe Fit and several other local businesses and volunteers. BPSF covers all costs for participants including running shoes, T-shirts, snacks and race registration fees.
The primary focus of the Bruins on the Run program is to engage and encourage students through mentoring, which results in increased confidence, improved ability to set and achieve goals, better health, positive attitudes and encouragement of peers.
BPSF plans to continue the program in the fall of 2020 with an introduction of a new group of fifth-grade students. For more information on how you can support this program, please contact Blair Ellis, BPSF Executive Director at 918-336-8600, ext. 3523 or ellisb@bps-ok.org.