The Connection

Dranesville Elementary School in Herndon had a fun run fundraiser on Friday, Nov. 15, with students from third grade through sixth grade gathering at 9:15 a.m. Students in kindergarten through second grade participated in their fun run at 1:45 p.m. The event was operated by the organization Boosterthon, which had previously been at Dranesville Elementary. "We serve schools in Prince William and Fairfax County… We worked with both the PTA and administration for this event," said Boosterthon team leader Marcus Harris.

The Boosterthon program at Dranesville began on Wednesday, Nov. 6 with a prep rally. "The reasons we need a fundraiser is we want to support the staff and teachers at Dranesville and the amazing work they do with the kids here," said PTA Recording Secretary Kim Baker. "The PTA provides buses for field trip requests, for professional development requests, for technology and many other financial needs at the school. The Boosterthon is a great way to raise funds we need and teach our children important lessons about fitness, character, and leadership," said Smith.

Since 2001, the Boosterthon Fun Run team has been serving schools across America, providing a fun, healthy alternative to sales-driven fundraisers. The Boosterthon Fun Run is based in Atlanta, Ga., and has served students at 1000 schools in 22 states across the U.S. "We offer a nine-day program with an emphasis on fitness, leadership, and character," said Boosterthon leader Harris.

At 9:15 a.m. students in third through sixth grade went outside for the fun run which was close to two miles. Principal Kathy Manoatl was there to cheer students on. "Every student participates and gets a t-shirt. Dranesville Elementary has a focus on fitness and it is important that students get the opportunity to move. We also offer family fitness nights," said Monoatl. Dranesville Elementary has an enrollment of 758 students at the school from preschool to 6th grade.

A water stand operated by a team of volunteers was set up on the field. Like every great sporting event, there was a playing of the National Anthem. Harris asked the students to give a round of applause to the parents who came, and then read out some rules. "This is not a race so be safe," said Harris. He also instructed everyone participating to have some water after completing five laps.

"The fun run is far superior to some fundraisers, the organization is so impressive," said parent Jenna Moyle, a Herndon resident for 15 years. She was there to cheer on her son Matthew Moyle, a student at Dranesville Elementary. "It was fun to run around with friends," said Matthew Moyle.

PTA President Rachel Gross and other PTA members were at the event. Most of the PTA has been very receptive to Boosterthon. "It is a very solid company, they are so positive," said Gross. "The theme this year was teamwork and not bullying."

"We support it [the fun run] because it is a fitness based fundraiser," said Dranesville Elementary physical education instructor Alison Matias. "I am hoping my children’s school in Prince William County will also pick up this program." Matias has been a physical education teacher for 11 years at Fairfax County schools, and for 9 years at Dranesville Elementary.

"It is a great event," said Yani Moreira resident of Herndon. Moreira was there to cheer on her daughter Madison. Lauren Warner, resident of Arlington and teacher of a fifth grade class at Dranesville, was also attending the event. "It [the Boosterthon program] is a wonderful opportunity for the kids to run for the school and learn social lessons like respecting others," said Warner.

"They are not loosing any classroom time for the 15 minute team huddles they have during the days, and they are learning community, team values," said Gross. "The theme was teamwork and not bullying, and for the goal we wanted to increase the technology at our schools. We did a full force campaign this year," said Gross. Boosterthon also has a program to give some of their proceeds to families in need.

For more information about Dranesville Elementary School, visit www.fcps.edu/DranesvilleES

To learn more about Boosterthon, visit www.boosterthon.com.