Some of Wrangell’s third through fifth graders participated in a running club this spring that promotes strengthening their values while staying active.
While the sun warmed up the early morning, some people took advantage of the welcoming spring day by wearing shorts in early May.
Many of these people, with gray t-shirts, stopped by a table that was set up with snacks in the basketball court. They’re part of I Toowú Klatseen, an after school running club that values respect while focusing on physical activity.
“Sometimes we go and walk the Nature Trail,” fourth grader Dima Aleksieva said. “Sometimes we go to the old gym, we do stretches and we talk about respecting people and being safe.”
I Toowú Klatseen was created by the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and by AWARE, which supports survivors of domestic violence. The program began during the pandemic in Juneau and Sitka, and since then has spread to other communities in Alaska.
Wrangell’s BRAVE, which stands for Building Respect and Valuing Everyone, adopted I Toowú Klatseen two years ago.
The running group has been meeting since March. One of their coaches, Val Massey, said they talk a lot about peer pressure and finding inner strengths. Not only in themselves, but they try to lift others up and look at everyone’s inner strengths.
“It’s been so good,” she said. “I really like working with this age because they’re very contemplative. You can put any question out there and they will really genuinely think about it, whether it’s, ‘what would you rather?’ or ‘what does this value mean to you?’”
Up to 15 kids have participated this spring, but today there’s 11 who are joining the 5K.
To make it a 5K, the runners and walkers have to go around the Volunteer Park Nature Trail three times and stay with an adult.
On the trail a little while later the sound of people running can be heard. Some kids play pop music through their phones where everyone can hear. Most groups were on their second and third round while BRAVE’s founder, Joan Sargent, and her dog, Barry, stood and watched.
Sargent said the group practices at the old Parks and Rec gym.
This year has really been an upgrade being able to have the gym, a whole gym,” she said. “Especially during the early weeks, where we need to build up trust before we can get outside. And then the weather of course.”
Sargent said that I Toowú Klatseen was funded this time around through an Alaska Children’s Trust grant.
For next year, she said they might be able to use the Wrangell Cooperative Association Domestic Violence Awareness grant.
“The funding is always a big question anytime you do something like this because it does cost money,” Sargent said. “We have to have background checks on everybody, as far as coaches go.”
Sargent said that this program is based on Girls on the Run and Boys on the Run, which are national programs. But they got permission to develop the curriculum to include language and make it multicultural for the area. They brought in Virginia Oliver, who teaches Tlingit to the group.
“It’s been very exciting to do that because we’ve had Virginia Oliver involved,” she said. “She comes twice a week and she’s also considered a coach. She’s so good with the kids. She deserves to be Teacher of the Year and she was with the Chamber.”
Sargent said that mental health deals with thinking positively, being kind and keeping the body healthy. That’s what the running club is about.
“It’s a multi dimensional program,” she said. “If you’re out playing, you aren’t picking on each other…if you’re really moving, and that’s one of the things we found in the program. If we can keep the kids moving their attitude about everything is so much better.”
One of the runners, Waylinn Grey, approached alone. Sargent gave him some encouragement.
How are you doing?
I’m out of breath.
You’re doing good. You’re doing good. Where’s your partner?
He’s hanging with his mom.
Oh, okay. You’re almost there. This is it. This is it, right?
Yes.
Yes. All right. That’s great.
Fourth grader Lilly Ellis was on her third and last round when she said she joined the running club to hang out with her friends mostly. And she enjoyed the 5K. . . when she didn’t feel like she’s going to pass out.
“It’s good, it’s really fun,” she said. “Actually, I like the games and stuff, but I think I might pass out from this 5k because I drank a whole bunch of cold water at once. And I hurt my heart a little bit.
Third grader Rosslyn Nore is walking with Coach Val.
Hey do you want to tell Colette the word we just worked on?
Nore loudly whispered distinction while she moved her hands away from each other.
Coach Val mirrored her and loudly whispered dinstinction with the same hand movement.
Nore said it’s a way people can look at others differently.
“It’s two features of the person,” she said. “I can say I don’t like him or I don’t like what he did and some people I don’t like them. But I really mean I don’t like what they did. So that’s distinction. Miss Val just told me about it.”
They whispered distinction again as they continued their last lap around the Nature Trail.
Nore’s been at every practice and she’s glad she had the opportunity to embrace other people.
“I wanted to know a little bit about foreign language and I thought it’d be good to know a little bit about other people,” she said. “I wanted to try something new for once because how do you know you won’t like if you never tried it?”
After everyone finished, we all congregated back to the basketball court. The runners and walkers each get a metal medal for their accomplishments.
