With three weeks remaining in the season, 9-year-old Stella Sides is glad she joined the Girls on the Run team at South Elementary.
"During my time, I have learned how to channel my emotions through exercise, have gotten better at talking about my emotions and can run farther than I could before," she said.
Sides is one of 13 girls at South Elementary who joined the new Girls on the Run team, which promotes exercise, self-esteem and teamwork and empowers girls to be proud of who they are.
Her mother, Jenny, said she had not heard of GOTR prior to back-to-school night in September, but she is a big supporter of health and fitness.
"I've heard so many studies that show how girls at the middle-school age have low self-esteem, and it seems to be getting younger," Jenny Sides said. "Empowering girls at any age is important, but if we're able to get them while they're young, I'm all for it."
The GOTR program was made possible locally through the Healthy Schools Healthy Communities grant funded by the Missouri Foundation for Health. HSHC works with four local elementary schools in programs that promote overall health and wellness for students.
During the GOTR program, the girls meet twice a week for 90 minutes over the course of 10 weeks and engage in lessons that build self-confidence, personal courage, peer connections, skill competence, and caring for oneself and the community.
Four elementary school teachers served as volunteer coaches.
GOTR instructional coach Sarah Kimble has learned as much from the girls as they have learned from her.
"It has been great to establish this bond with the girls," Kimble said. "We've talked about star power, building relationships, coping skills - all while we run."
The South Elementary team will join more than 200 girls enrolled in the program at a non-competitive 5K race Nov. 11 in Columbia. The event will be on Bear Creek Trail at Albert Oakland Park, 1900 Blue Ridge Road in Columbia.
"This event is a final celebration for all of the girls and their coaches who have worked hard this season to build confidence, courage, connections, competence and self-care through lessons designed to empower girls to be the very best versions of themselves possible," said Cheryl Unterschutz, executive director at the Heart of Missouri Girls on the Run Council. "This non-competitive race is the final step for the girls to take to see the goal toward which they've been working come to fruition. When they cross the finish line, they will know they've accomplished more than they ever thought possible."
Starting at 8:30 a.m., participants can enjoy various activities including photos, face painting, happy hair and superhero cape- and cufflet-making stations, and Rockin' Rents Inflatables, Unterschutz said. The races starts at 10 a.m.
Volunteers and community runners are invited to register for the event. Early registration runs through Nov. 1 at $10 for children 6-12, $25 for adults 13 and older, and $80 for a team of four of more. After Nov. 1, the children's fee will be $15, adults' fee $30 and team fee $100.
To register, visit heartofmissourigirlsontherun.org.