The gym at Churchill School filled with joy and laughter as kids ran in circles, music blaring. It’s Glow Run!

Classrooms cycled through the gym all school day on Friday, April 10. Each of the 27 classrooms got about a 30-minute Glow Run session. The gym lights are out. Colored lights on the floor mark the perimeter. Under a tent in the center of the gym, kids can take a break and cheer their fellow students on. Staff from Booster, the company that puts on the Glow Run, have their music setup under the tent.

The Booster staff tries to start off slowly having kids walk the first few times around, but the anticipation is too much for these third, fourth and fifth graders. As soon as the Booster staffer gives the sign, they are off and running.

Thanks to the Churchill students, the District 153 Parent-Teacher Association raised $26,000 (and counting). In November, a Glow Run for pre-schoolers through second graders at Willow School raised $27,500.

Students raise the funds by asking for donations for each lap they run. The top fundraiser at Churchill was fourth grader Emmy Roman who raised $1,100. Her follow students cheered her when she was presented with a trophy for her efforts.

Glow Run “is something. It’s really cool and really inspiring to see the kids run around and cheer and holler to the music,” said Alex Bosch, school board president, who congratulated Emmy on her fundraising efforts during the school board meeting April 13.

Board member Christine Scully said Glow Run “is incredible, especially for the amount of money raised” with a limited number of volunteers. She thanked organizer Lisa Opiola and her team for their efforts.

“With these two events $50,000 was raised for the district,” said Superintendent Scott McAlister, noting that the PTA gives 100% of the funds to the district. The money has helped fund a luncheon for staff appreciation day, and allowed the PTA to fulfill a number of teacher wishes.