For 15 years, students at Enterprise Elementary in Federal Way have been earning their way to a free Mariners game by walking, jogging or running 25 miles throughout the month of May in a program called the 25-Mile Club.
And they have P.E. teacher Tom Wallat to thank.
“I just wanted a program that had walking, jogging and running for kids and a program that allowed parents to participate,” said Wallat, who was nominated as the Mirror’s Citizen of the Month.
Before he came to Enterprise in 2000, he was teaching physical education at an elementary school in Enumclaw where he first thought of the idea.
But the club wasn’t nearly as successful or popular as its incorporation at Enterprise, he said.
Students kindergarten through fifth grade can participate in the 25-Mile Club by completing laps during their lunch recess. With each lap, students receive one punch on their punch card and parents are welcome to join for extra punches.
Those who reach 25 miles by the end of the month receive a ticket to a Mariners game and a 25-Mile Club t-shirt. This year, former Mariner Dave Valle donated Mariners tickets to support the club. The group of students and families who complete the 25 miles will attend one game together.
Last year, the elementary school had 290 students complete the 25 miles and this year Wallat hopes to get to that point again.
Although Wallat recognizes the importance of teaching kids to be active at an early age because of rising adolescent obesity rates, the real reason he sees this as beneficial is that it promotes the strengthening of parent-child relationships.
“Exercise is a no-pressure situation,” he said. “Obesity and all that is up there, but my part is to get kids connected with their parents.”
Co-organizer Stacey Traylor, a counselor at Enterprise, said the 25-Mile Club is an opportunity to connect to the community.
Each day, about 30 parents walk with their children. Some are in workout clothes, while others are on a lunch break, Traylor said.
The program has helped parents become more involved in their child’s school by promoting school attendance.
Traylor recalled one specific example of a female kindergarten student who had not been attending enough school days but that changed when her parents got involved and began walking with her during her lunch recess.
“It if makes a difference in her attendance, it’s going to make a difference in her academic achievement,” she said, adding that she hopes that it plants a seed for future attendance.
Enterprise Principal Jeff Soltez said the program has also helped stave off end-of-year misbehavior during lunch time recess.
“Seeing a drop in discipline referrals this late in the year is great,” Soltez said. “Kids get anxious about school ending. Students at risk see it as something they can count on.”
Soltez said with 60 percent of students, or nearly 300 students, utilizing free and reduced lunch and more than 100 kids at early morning breakfast, school is a place many kids feel is safe.
Wallat said he believes some other schools are involved in the 25-Mile Club but would be open to expanding it district-wide if the opportunity presented itself. But he’s humble.
“It does take an army of people to coordinate and work together,” Wallat said. “I have great support from our school counselor, our PTA and past principals.”
Nominate a Citizen of the Month by emailing editor@fedwaymirror.com. Winners receive a gift certificate to Jimmy Mac’s Roadhouse.
