Mound View Elementary students do Turkey Trot and raise $473 for juvenile diabetes

By LeAnn R. Ralph

ELK MOUND  —  It was a lovely day for a Turkey Trot.

And from the enthusiasm of all the students at Mound View Elementary, the youngsters enjoyed getting out into the sunny, crisp weather the day before Thanksgiving vacation.

Mound View Elementary held the fifth annual Turkey Trot November 24.

Students, teachers and parents walked a 1.5 mile course around the school grounds.

This was the first year that students at Mound View raised money for a cause in conjunction with the Turkey Trot.

The goal was $250.

All together, students at Mound View Elementary raised $473 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Paper “shoes” cost $1, and “turkeys” were $5. Purchasing a shoe allowed students to put their names into a drawing for prizes one time. A turkey allowed students to put their names in the drawing five times.

The shoes and turkeys were displayed on a wall in the hallway of Mound View.

Jonathan Chisholm, Mound View Elementary physical education teacher, promised the students he would wear a turkey suit if they raised a minimum of $250.

Chisholm was true to his word and donned a turkey suit for the Turkey Trot.

“It was a great day. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. The goal was $250, but we raised way more than that,” said Chisholm, whose voice was a little muffled by the mask that went with the turkey suit.

All along the Turkey Trot trail, there were different physical activity stops, such as push-ups and jumping jacks, as well as different facts about Type I diabetes.

“We have a couple of students here who are affected by Type I diabetes, and we were approached to do a walk. We decided what a great cause. It was our first year doing it, so we decided to start out small,” Chisholm said.

“This was our fifth annual turkey trot. Mr. Chisholm has done a good job,” said Eric Hanson, principal at Mound View Elementary.

“It started with our wellness committee and looking for ways to promote wellness, but also looking for ways to promote families to come in (to the school),” he said.

“It’s a time to send our kids off on Thanksgiving break and a way to promote wellness. This year, we brought awareness to childhood diabetes. This was the first year we raised money. The other years it was mostly to get the families in here, too, and to send (the students) off on a good note for Thanksgiving vacation,” Hanson said.

“We have students with diabetes in all three of our buildings,” he noted.

“Mr. Chisholm put together the course and tried to make it accessible to everyone so everyone could do it,” Hanson said.

Even the smallest students were able to walk the Turkey Trot course and seemed quite proud of their accomplishment when they crossed the finish line.

“We had great participation. We are always looking for ways to get parents in to see the good things we do at our school. And it was a beautiful day. We’ve been blessed this fall with beautiful weather,” Hanson said.