Schnecksville Elementary Students Run in the Turkey Trot

EDITOR'S UPDATE: The first ten students to finish in each group are now listed at the end of the article.

Students at Schnecskville Elementary School were pumped up Monday afternoon for the mile-long run also known as the Turkey Trot.

Joe O'Brien, the physical education teacher, said it can be a fairly daunting race for some.

"You always have those kids who are more hesitant and don't want to do it but it's a team building experience," O'Brien said. "I've been brought to tears two times since doing this when I've watched a kid with low self-esteem get cheered on by all their friends and finish the race."

The Turkey Trot, initiated by former physical education teacher Rick Miller, has been held at Schnecksville Elementary for more than 40 years, according to O'Brien. Principal Bill Bowen does his part to rally the kids by running with each group for a total of four miles.

The route is three trips around a track with some pretty significant hills and the fourth-grade girls were first to run. The boys cheered them on and after that the girls rooted for the boys. Next up were the fifth-graders. Each group had 30 minutes to finish.

Students have been training for the race since mid-October. O'Brien said he's been teaching them strategies like: run with a partner; breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose; sprint down the hill and jog or walk up, and when going uphill watch the ground and it's not as noticeable.

Fourth-Grade Girls

Stephanie Snyder
Isabella Costa
Emily Easton
Victoria Bowman
Abigail Graham
Peyton Schlosser
Samantha Curch
Aliya West
Maya Sukanick
Alyssa Cahill

Fourth-Grade Boys

Drew Berger
Luan Avdijaj
William Filipovits
Chase Richardson
Charles Kaetzel
Matthew Geroulo
Benjamin Marko
Ryan Dugan

Fifth-Grade Girls

Julianna Elsesser
Ava Schaller
Abby Hafler
Katharine Gottwald
Madison Kranch
Kayla Kinney
Brianna Hoyson
Hannah Miller
Grace Patterson

Fifth-Grade Boys

Dylan Shinsky
Bryce Shalbert
Luke McKeon
Bradley Drews
Eric Terrano
Bryan Krum
Jacob Melady
Christopher Wood
Nathanial Kuntz
Owen George