Schools

Cinco de Mayo Trail Run to Benefit Valley Elementary and Other Participating Schools

Funds raised will help purchase new computers for Valley Elementary School.

Runners all ages and skill levels will gather at Lake Poway this Saturday for the fifth annual Cinco de Mayo Trail Run, which will benefit and several other local schools.

Hosted by Valley Elementary Educational Foundation, the event will help raise funds to purchase computers for Valley Elementary School.

“Technology is such an integral part of our everyday life that we need to prepare the kids for that experience,” said Megan Schirmacher, foundation president and trail run director. “There’s no reason they shouldn’t start now. There are so many opportunities available to them online.”

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Last year, the trail run raised $25,000, which helped purchase CompassLearning, an online educational tool. Students can access the program, which ties directly to their testing scores, from any computer connected to the Internet.

“When we purchased that, that made the lack of computer access at our school more pronounced,” Schirmacher said. “Here we have this really powerful, curriculum-based educational tool and no computer lab system to support it.”

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Schirmacher explained that the school’s computer lab didn’t have enough computers for one classroom. Some of the computers were damaged, she added, and many didn’t have full keyboards.

After a successful fundraiser in the spring, the foundation was able to replace and add 14 computers to the lab, which now has 34 computers. The foundation also purchased 34 ThinkPads, which are used as a mobile lab. Classes rotate computer use so the school’s more than 700 students have access, Schirmacher explained.

Funds raised at the trail run will help the foundation begin to purchase 72 more ThinkPads, so each classroom can have two or three permanent computers, Schirmacher said.

“Everybody knows that technology can facilitate the educational experience in so many different ways, whether that’s for a research project or allowing kids to interact with media presentations—just generally getting them prepared for what’s coming next in their lives,” Schirmacher said.

According to the foundation, 51 percent of Valley Elementary School’s students come from low-income households. 

“For these kids, this may be the only computer interaction that they have, so it becomes that much more important for us to have it available to them,” Schirmacher said.

The event will not only benefit Valley Elementary School. So far, several local public and private schools have teams signed up, and those schools will receive a portion of the money raised, Schirmacher said.

“By doing so, we’re hoping to benefit more children at more campuses,” Schirmacher said.

Veronika Doud worked at Valley Elementary School as a teacher and a literacy specialist for 11 years. Now a mother of three, she has children who attend and will soon attend the school.

Doud said fundraisers like the Cinco de Mayo Trail Run are essential to the school, especially because of the budget cuts.

“For a school like Valley, where you have such a dichotomy of low-income families—and families that really, really want to help but don’t have a lot of money to help—this really makes the point of raising funds outside of the school,” said Doud, who is the foundation’s secretary. "We try really hard to not ask our families to give more than they can, other than to just support us with their time."

Doud, who will help manage the event on Saturday, said her husband and children plan to participate in the trail run.

“It’s important—especially in the economy that we’re looking at right now—it’s important that people just look around and pitch in wherever they can,” she said. “Everyone is feeling the budget cuts, especially schools. It really takes a movement of a large number of parents and the community to pitch in.”

At the inaugural event in 2007, more than 330 runners, 80 volunteers and 12 sponsors participated. Last year’s event attracted more than 1,000 participants from across San Diego County. The foundation hopes to draw even more participants this year.

In addition to school and foundation staff, students and families, the race draws many professional athletes.

David Kloz, a professional runner and coach of the San Diego Track Club, participated in the second annual race and now brings his team members along for the run.

“It’s not one of those mass-produced races that is all about putting up an event, making a buck, making everybody run, pack up and go,” Kloz said. “It’s like a mom-and-pop shop where you have to work hard to get it up.”

Kloz added that the trail offers a great challenge for professional runners.

“There’s very few trail races like this one where you actually run on trails,” he said. “It’s a really cool race. It’s beautiful on the trail. It’s a nice weekend workout, rather than just pounding on the pavement.

“All in all, it’s a great event and it’s put up with passion.”

There will be a variety of races so all ages and skill levels can participate.

The Cinco de Mayo Trail Run will feature a 10K, as well as multiple 5K runs, including a Men’s Elite Heat, a Women’s Elite Heat and a Heroes Heat to honor active-duty firefighters, law enforcement personnel and members of the military. There will also be an Open/Family Heat and a 1/3-mile Kids Race for children ages 7 and younger. The event will also include professional chip timing, more than $1,500 in cash awards, entertainment and exhibits.

 “That’s what makes our run so unique,” Doud said. “The families can come out and have a terrific day, and the elite athletes can come out. So it’s kind of the best of both worlds.”

While the foundation is hoping to match last year’s funds, any amount of money raised will be well worth the organizing efforts, Schirmacher said.

“If we make any amount of money for this school, we consider it successful—obviously more is better,” Schirmacher said. “More is always better when it comes to this sort of thing because these kids really need it.”

Registration fees are $10 for children ages 7 and younger, $15 on race day; $20 for children ages 8 to 17, $25 on race day and $30 for adults, $35 on race day. All participants receive a T-shirt and a virtual goodie bag.

To register for the trail run, visit http://CincodeMayoTrailRun.org.

Race day schedule

6:30 a.m. – Registration opens

7:30 a.m. – 10K starts

8:30 a.m. – 5K Men’s Elite Heat

8:35 a.m. – 5K Women’s Elite Heat

8:40 a.m. – Heroes Heat

8:45 a.m. – Open/Family Heat

9:30 a.m. – Kids Race

1:30 p.m. – Event concludes


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