Published: 11/23/2022 2:55:41 PM
BERNARDSTON — A longtime Bernardston Elementary School tradition that was taken over by a new teacher in the middle of a global pandemic surged forward on Wednesday.
Following a group warm-up led by physical education teacher Steven Ludtke, who donned a turkey outfit for the occasion, energetic children took off from the starting line in the annual Turkey Trot, departing on a tenth-of-a-mile dash from the school. Classmates, as well as parents and faculty, cheered encouragement from the sidelines. Met with high-fives upon their return, the kids were treated to cups of hot chocolate.
Ludtke has been running the Turkey Trot for the past two years, carrying on the tradition started by longtime physical education teacher Sue Scott in 2000. Ludtke said it was tough to get everybody together again amid the pandemic last year, but he wanted to continue this tradition.
“Sue Scott did a phenomenal job when she started this,” he said of the Turkey Trot. “And honestly, it is truly an honor that I was able to keep this going. The teachers had been telling me how much this means. And I was like, ‘Oh, I have to do this, this has to be a part of the school.’”
To train for the run, Ludtke said he did a two-week mini-unit with the students that involved playing games with a lot of movement and having pep talks about self-pace. Ludtke would ask how students were feeling and he said some would feel tired. He advised them, “That’s your body telling you, ‘I might need help (controlling) my breathing.’”
While running with the students during the race, Ludtke said he could hear them tell their friends to pace themselves and to slow down when they got tired.
Madison Annear, a Bernardston Elementary fifth grader, said she likes participating in the Turkey Trot even though running isn’t necessarily her activity of choice.
“Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t,” Madison said of running.
Alden Parker, another fifth grader, said he enjoys running in the Turkey Trot.
“It doesn’t take as much effort as you think it would,” Alden said. “But it’s fun.”
Ludtke said he couldn’t have held the Turkey Trot without the help of students from Pioneer Valley Regional School’s National Honor Society who ran alongside the children; Bernardston Elementary staff; and the Bernardston Police, Fire and Public Works departments that helped close down the road.
“I feel like this was truly an amazing day to bring everybody together,” Ludtke said.