Turkey Trot

Students  were invited to participate in the first annual Turkey Trot on the last day before Thanksgiving break. 

North physical education teachers organize the Turkey Trot as a way for students to socialize with their friends while incorporating fitness aspects such as an obstacle course. 

Before the event, planning and preparation was put into place.

“So many different things went into preparing for the event,” gym teacher Callie Kneip said. “We had to brainstorm what the different stops were going to be along the course, design the T-shirt and figure out how we would be able to identify students who were participating easily.”

A $10.00 admission cost was paid by each participant to cover activities, merchandise and snacks.  

According to P.E. division chair Lynetter Bayer, this included an“Inflatable obstacle course, donuts, Northside Pride bracelet, Photo stop, hot chocolate and  shirt pick up [and] spikeball on the turf.” 

To incorporate the fitness aspect into the function, students visited different stations, and  they could walk to pick up their merchandise. 

“At first we had to go to certain stations to get donuts and stuff, but once we got onto the track we could sit and talk with friends if we wanted to,” senior Zoe Collins said. “A lot of people chose to walk the track too.”

Students that chose not to participate in the Turkey Trot were asked to walk in the fieldhouse for their gym period. 

“I walked around the track in the fieldhouse with my friends,” senior Angelina Pardo said. “They played Christmas music, and it was nice being able to catch up with them.”

Student reaction to the overall event was mixed, though. 

“The shirts were nice,” sophomore Amy Clairmont said. “The hot chocolate was not very hot though.”

The commemorative shirts were the highlight of the event although the short sleeves were not conducive for the late November weather. 

“One positive is that we got fun shirts that were cute,” Collins said. “The donuts were also pretty good. One negative was that it was pretty cold and the line to get the shirts took almost the whole period.”

The P.E. Teachers felt the overall experience was beneficial for the students, and some teachers participated in the action.  

“Two parts of the Turkey Trot were my favorite,” Kneip said. “First, seeing everyone wear their shirts as soon as they got them was very cool to see. Second, Mrs. Retzer and I raced through the inflatable obstacle course and had an absolute blast.”

Bayer concurs.  

“I think it went well overall and we wanted to offer something different for students to participate in,” Bayer said.

After the event, P.E. teachers reflected on how to improve the event for next year.  Plans are also in the works for hosting more events like the Turkey Trot

“In the future, I think we would plan to do the same concept but when it is warmer out, hand out the shirts the day before and make the course a little bit longer,” Kneip said