Sporting turkey hats hand-made out of red and brown construction
paper, the kindergartners cheered on their classmates at Spring
Grove School’s annual Turkey Trot.
Sporting turkey hats hand-made out of red and brown construction paper, the kindergartners cheered on their classmates at Spring Grove School’s annual Turkey Trot.
“Let’s go Tigers, let’s go!” they shouted, acting as cheerleaders for the older students as they raced by.
Still, Daniel Dominguez, 5, was disappointed with his role as an onlooker.
“How come we don’t get to race?” he said. “We want to race!”
But soon after asking, he forgot about his frustration and got excited talking to his friend, 5-year-old Daniel Chavez, about Thanksgiving pumpkin pie eating and plans to enter the race next year.
“We’ll get to run and we’ll get to win!” Daniel said.
The Turkey Trot is a 26-year tradition at the kindergarten through eighth grade school. Aside from the kindergartners, most other students participate in the race, and many parents come out to cheer on their children as well.
“This is a big event,” Principal Evelyn Muro said.
On Tuesday Morning, around 200 parents lined the roadside along with teachers and administrators as the students ran – 1 mile for first- through third-graders and 2–1/2 miles for the older students.
Parent Araceli Rodriguez stood on the sidelines, camcorder in hand, waiting for her 10-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter to cross the finish line.
“I haven’t missed it,” Rodriguez said. “Every year, it’s like the first time.”
She said her children love the event – her daughter even trains in the days leading up to it.
Rodriguez attended Spring Grove School, so besides cheering on her own children, she remembers running in the race as a child.
“I never won, but it’s an event,” Rodriguez said.
The winning students from each grade and top runners in the school win – what else? – a turkey, which is donated by the parent-teacher organization.
Both eighth-grader Dominic Changco, 14, and his brother won turkeys for their family this year, but he said he wasn’t sure which bird the family would eat. He had raced each year in school there and said he was disappointed the tradition was ending.
For fifth-grader Paulina Llamas, 10, the tradition was just starting. Having transferred to Spring Grove this year, she said she enjoyed her first trot.
“It was very fun, but very tiring,” Paulina said.
Paulina talked after the race with her friends, Irais Santoyo, 10, and Anjelica Collins, 10, swapping scores and placements. Anjelica placed first in the school for girls.
“I won a turkey,” she said, smiling.
