Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Girls on the Run SHINES with Shoe Fairy Visit
 

 

Hollibrook Elementary recently had a surprise visitor, the Shoe Fairy. The Shoe Fairy, more commonly known as Stacy Bourgeois, delivered much more than fairy dust on her recent visit – she brought with her 13 pairs of new running shoes for students at the school. 

Stacy is a Girls on the Run Houston Coordinator.  Her donation – while generous - was much bigger than shoes. It symbolized something the campus is collectively working to foster – empowered students who embrace making a positive impact on the larger world. 

Girls on the Run provides female students with training on life skills and models for team collaboration. Participants are encouraged to take charge of their thinking and to recognize that they have the power to define their future, without bounds.

Program participants in grades 3-5 meet twice a week in small teams. Teams work on building relationships, fostering teamwork, and building team members self-confidence. 

From service projects to the 5K run that’s the culmination of the program’s season, participants learn powerful lessons about personal strength and helping others. The result? Empowered girls who feel good about themselves and what they can do.

Girls on the Run unites young girls and shows them what they can achieve together and that everything is possible when you work together,” said classroom teacher and running coach Kiara Araujo. 

Araujo and her Hollibrook colleagues learned of the program last school year and were eager to start a team after seeing the positive impact the program was having on school culture and individual student leadership for participating campuses.

Our student face daily challenges in their personal and academic lives,” said Araujo. “Girls on the Run provides the knowledge and tools to know how to deal with the daily struggles of life effectively.”

Building student capacity and life skills fit with the campus student council committee’s initiative to support students on their journeys to be leaders. The council’s focus on #CollectiveGreatness through collaboration and building culture align perfectly with the program’s goal.

“When students have more than just their teachers that show love, care and compassion, they can grow their toolbox of strategies,” said Araujo while reflecting on the power and importance of programming and partners. 

“Students imitate their role models which in turn helps them become better contributors to our society and communities.”

The program has already shown girls on campus how to solve issues and to work together to meet goals and feel pride in each other and themselves. And, just like fairy dust, it’s helping the students shine. 

“We love to help make each other shine brighter,” said Araujo. “That’s what we do as educators. We model it. It’s great to see all the amazing things we can do together.”

For more information about Girls on the Run, visit:

https://www.girlsontherun.org

 


Submitted by Melissa Wiland, SBISD Communications, melissa.wiland@springbranchisd.com.