Fact File

Where we are: Fybough National School, Castlemaine, Co Kerry

How many students participate? The whole school (34) students participate

Our Experience of The Daily Mile

We decided to do The Daily Mile three mornings a week – first thing in the morning before we begin lessons.

We decided to do it now because we found very early on that children are more awake and ready for work after The Daily Mile.

Children also seem more focused on work and better able to concentrate once they get back in from doing the run.

We are a small rural school with 2 teachers and 34 students. The whole school participates in The Daily Mile. We do The Daily Mile in the school playground and the school pitch.

Benefits of The Daily Mile

The Daily Mile links with maths -measures time, geography we are running around our county.

It has been interesting to see the children really embrace The Daily Mile and give full effort to it.

We introduced ‘Runner of the Month’ to try to encourage kids who preferred to walk rather than run.

‘A well worthwhile programme, It is really fun and is really great to do’ Kyle.

‘It is great because in the morning it wakes me up’ Paul.

Source: The Independent IE

Date: 22-April-2018

This article has been reproduced with the kind permission of the content creator, The Independent. To read the article in full, please click the link below.

Listellick National School

Fact File

Where we’re based: Listellick, Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland

School Roll: 224

How many pupils take part in The Daily Mile: 224

Month/Year we started The Daily mile: November, 2017

Where do we do The Daily Mile? In our school playgrounds

A brief description of your school?

Our schol is an urban/rural school situated on the edge of the town of Tralee. We are a single stream school with 8 classes from Junior Infants to Sixth class.

Since starting The Daily Mile, what differences, if any, have you noticed in the children and across your school?

• The pupils have better concentration and are calmer after it.
• The children are very enthusiastic about it and have more energy after it.
• They have progressed from walking to running and seem to be getting fitter.
• Better attitude by the children towards running and walking
• When we do it first thing in the morning the class seem more settled

Did you encounter any barriers to getting started with The Daily Mile or whilst implementing The Daily Mile in your school? If yes, how did you overcome them?

• It is very weather dependent. If the day was very bad we did exercise in the classroom as we do not have a hall.
• The Daily Mile was well organised in the school – timetabling etc.

What has been the reported impact of The Daily Mile on the children’s learning, concentration, focus, behaviour, mood and relationships?

• Children are happier
• Mood is uplifted when we are back in class
• It wakes them up and contributes to higher levels of concentration in class.
• Socially, I see the children doing the mile with different peers every day. They are forming new friendships.
• Their focus and concentration has improved.
• Very positive – the children love it. They are very disappointed if they can’t
do it.
• They learn to respect others as they run in a group.
• It’s a good break for Senior Infants and I use it as a transition between lessons.

Can you tell us about any successful links you have made between The Daily Mile and your curriculum?

• Maths – counting the laps and time links
• PE – running, jogging, walking and importance of keeping active
• English- oral language- heart rate, exercise, laps
• SPHE- healthy habits
• History – running, marathon

Do you have any individual success stories of pupils or staff members you would like to share with us?

• I try to complete the Daily Mile as part of my daily 10,000 step target
• As a group the class seem to bond better as they have a common goal
• As the teacher I enjoy it myself. I often walk with one or two children and it gives me a chance to catch up on a one to one level with them.
• There’s a child with Cystic Fibrosis in my class and at the beginning he found it hard to run 3 laps without stopping. However, over the months he has made great progress and can now do it very well.
• Some pupils don’t get exercise when they go home. This may be the only exercise they get and they really enjoy it.

Do you have any tips for other schools looking to get started?

• Very enjoyable experience
• No equipment needed and very easy to start
• Just do it
• Do not look for reasons for not doing it. Facilities should not be a problem
• All children are included
• We found having a timetable helped us
• Exercise inside on wet days
• Go for it. It requires minimal effort and you get great results

Any other comments?

• The children love it. They always remind me if we don’t get out for it.
• Some children don’t look forward to it but once they are out there doing they enjoy it.
• It’s a great idea

To find out more about Listellick National School please visit their website: www.listellickprimary.com or Facebook page.

Fact File

School Name: Stokane National School, Sligo.

When we started: Started last September 2017 and have continued it throughout the year.

The whole school (34) students do the run everyday

Our Experience of The Daily Mile

We started The Daily Mile back in September 2017 and have continued it throughout the year. We are a quite a small school but every student participates.

The students run around the school yard or if it’s dry enough they run on the school pitch.

Cones are set up in a circle and the kids run around them for 15 minutes.

Some kids like to keep track of the amount of laps they do but for the rest it is just great fun.

We do The Daily Mile before small break every day which is around 10 am as the weather is usually okay and we find that it wakes up the students for the day ahead.

Benefits we’ve noticed

It is clear to see that the fitness levels of the kids has improved since we started The Daily Mile.

It has definitely given the kids something to look forward to everyday.

Benefits have crossed into Maths and Geography by adding our combined total distance and mapping the radius.

Quotes from Students and Teachers

“It wakes everybody involved up for the day (teachers included). The children are more energetic afterwards is what I see myself and hear from other teachers, too”

“The fitness of the kids has definitely increased as they are running for longer while enjoying it”

“The extra exercise has given the students a lot more energy and concentration in class which is brilliant to see, long may it continue”.

Fact File

School name: Castledrum National School

The Daily Mile Start Date: November 2017

Number of students participation? The whole school (93)

A brief Description of your school

We are a small rural school located in Kerry.

We have a total of 93 students in the entire school.

The Daily Mile is ran in our school playground.

Your School’s Experience of The Daily Mile

Our experience has been a positive one. The only small issue was the bad weather we have had over the past few months but whenever possible we ran the mile.

Children have much more energy since starting The Daily Mile. They are also much more willing to engage in the run everyday.

The children’s concentration and focus has improved and therefore their learning and relationships with peers has improved accordingly.

We have also linked The Daily Mile with subjects such as Science and Maths. In Science we learn about how to be healthier and our heart rates and in Maths we work out our heart rates (beats per minute) after the run.

Do you have any individual success stories?

We have one particular student with Attention Deficit Disorder who has extremely poor concentration levels has shown very positive improvements after completing The Daily Mile.

Overall we have definitely seen an improvement in the students fitness and attention in the classroom.

Do you have any tips for other schools looking to get started?

Enjoy it! Focus on the benefits and not the time lost. It is more productive and focused kids always work better when they return to the classroom. It is such a simple initiative that is very beneficial.

Fact File

CBS Primary School, Clounalour, Tralee, Co Kerry

Daily Mile Start Date: 6/11/2017

Number of children participating in The Daily Mile: 428 pupils

A brief description of our school

Our school is a large, diverse, urban school, which is located in the heart of Tralee town. The school is a co-educational school which caters for boys and girls from Junior Infants to Sixth Class. At present we have 18 classes in our school, and in excess of 400 children. We have 44 teachers, and 11 Special Needs Assistants in our school. One of our guiding principles is the achievement of high standards of education in our school. However, in keeping with the philosophy of developing the child as a whole person, we also emphasise the areas of Sport, Drama, Music, Art and Craft and Science.

Barriers faced starting The Daily Mile

We encountered very few barriers to implementing this initiative. We received fantastic support from Kerry Recreation and Sports Partnership, who explained the initiative brilliantly, and their enthusiasm inspired our staff. We were initially concerned about  all classes running together, as we feared it would be too busy, and we started by timetabling classes during the school day. However, we soon realised that this was unnecessary, as teachers liked the flexibility of going out at a time that suits their class best. Also, it wasn’t an issue when there were several classes running together.

Teachers have reported that concentration levels have improved since we started The Daily Mile initiative. Children are more focused, more awake and more interested in learning when they have completed the exercise. It also motivates students to complete tasks when they are dwindling – if they know they will be getting fresh air once they are finished!!

Benefits of The Daily Mile

The Daily Mile presents many opportunities for learning. We have calculated the distance we hope to have completed by the end of the school year, and identified the equivalent town in Ireland – we are hoping to run to Kildare town! WE are keeping track of our distances every day, and have made great links with Maths, Geography accordingly. The initiative also has natural links with the S.E.S.E and S.P.H.E curriculum, and reinforces the importance of looking after our bodies and getting daily exercise.

Learning impact

Teachers have reported that concentration levels have improved since we started The Daily Mile initiative. Children are more focused, more awake and more interested in learning when they have completed the exercise. It also motivates students to complete tasks when they are dwindling – if they know they will be getting fresh air once they are finished!!

Successful Curricular Links

The Daily Mile presents many opportunities for learning. We have calculated the distance we hope to have completed by the end of the school year, and identified the equivalent town in Ireland – we are hoping to run to Kildare town! WE are keeping track of our distances every day, and have made great links with Maths, Geography accordingly. The initiative also has natural links with the S.E.S.E and S.P.H.E curriculum, and reinforces the importance of looking after our bodies and getting daily exercise.

Individual Success Stories

A lot of our children are keeping track of their own individual progress, and have reported that they are improving the distance which they are running. They are setting personal goals quietly, and trying to improve every day.

We have a number of children with Special Educational Needs, and they are the real success stories of the Daily Mile initiative. As it is all inclusive, there is no reason why everyone can not take part to the best of their ability. We have a little boy in Senior  Infants who is in a wheelchair, and he is able to take part , with the help of his Special Needs Assistant, much to his delight

Tips for Schools

Do not overthink it – the simplicity of the Daily Mile Initiative is the greatest attraction for schools. Make the decision today, and start tomorrow. You will learn by doing, and the perfect model for your school will only be found once you start.  Keep it flexible for teachers!

The Ministry for Education and Employment and the Centre for Physical Education and Sport, in collaboration with The Daily Mile Foundation, have launched The Daily Mile initiative in Maltese schools. 

Aiming to increase children’s daily physical activity, this initiative is intended to develop positive health behaviours in children and to contribute towards a whole school approach to a healthy lifestyle.

Recent research has shown that only 24% of Maltese 10-11 year old’s meet the recommended hour of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity, and that 40% of all Maltese children are overweight or obese. Therefore, there is an urgent need to increase levels of activity, and schools are an ideal place for the implementation of new initiatives.

The Daily Mile initiative was started in the UK and aims to improve the physical, social, emotional and mental health and wellbeing of children. This initiative is very easy to implement and fun to do, and only takes 15 minutes. At any time during the school day, the teacher takes the class to the yard for a jog or run. Most children cover a mile in 15 minutes, while some children do more and others less. There is no need for a warm up or to change into the school PE kit. It is neither Physical Education, nor a competition, and everyone can participate at their own pace, irrespective of his or her ability. After The Daily Mile, children are more focused and concentrate more in the classroom. When interviewed, children said that they enjoy The Daily Mile and that it makes them fitter, and happier at school, while giving them a short break from the long period of sitting in class.

The Daily Mile was introduced in Malta three months ago, and 35 schools have already joined this initiative, with thousands of children already getting an extra 15 minutes of daily physical activity, while improving their fitness and health.

Elaine Wyllie, founder of The Daily Mile and former primary school head teacher, said “It is wonderful to see such commitment to The Daily Mile round the world.  This launch shows Malta leading the way in the Mediterranean and are committed to helping your children sustainably improve their health and well-being.”

Given the benefits of The Daily Mile, and being such a simple concept, more schools are urged to join this initiative. The Daily Mile is mainly targeted at primary schools, however various middle and secondary schools have also introduced it, and it can also be extended to the workplace, particularly before working hours or during breaks.

Twitter: @thedailymile_ie Facebook: /thedailymile.ie #DailyMile

Photographs courtesy of DOI – Omar Camilleri

Media contacts

The Daily Mile: Joseph Wade (+44) 207 384 6980 – (+44) 7758 074 576

The Daily Mile in Malta: Andrew Decelis – [email protected]

Fact File

Name of school: Saint Brigid’s National School, Castleknock

Address: Beechpark Lawn, Castleknock , Dublin 15

The Daily Mile start date in your school: April 2018

How many children in your school participate in The Daily Mile? 400 approx so far.

Where do you do The Daily Mile? There is Church Green with a 300 meter tarmac path beside our school.

How many times a week does your school participate in The Daily Mile? We complete the run on a daily basis.

Our Experience of The Daily Mile

We have only started The Daily Mile in the last few weeks but we have lunch time running on a daily basis in our school.

Due to our size of school (over 900 children) there have been some timetabling discussions over when is best to do The Daily Mile.

Children who participate running are happier and more focused in class. They develop a sense of community and they pair off with runners of similar abilities ; some chat as they jog around.

Some compete with each. Others choose to run alone. You can see different children getting different things from the running.

Benefits we’ve noticed

You can see improved focus and more settled behaviour in the classroom after children have had a chance to run. The mood in the classroom on running days is better children seem more easy-going and happier.

The Daily Mile connects strongly to P.E , but there are many connections to other aspects of the curriculum.

SPHE: Healthy living, respect,dies, taking care of yourself and others/community.

Science: The respiratory system, heart and lungs, food and energy.

Maths: The distance, time and speed.

Geography: Mapping the area of where we run The Daily Mile.

Quotes from Students and Teachers

‘The Daily Mile is an answer to every teachers prayers. It’s the children’s positive focus point of the day! It’s an activity accessible to all and lends itself to increased socialisation. Children are eager coming into class asking what time are we doing it today. Most of all healthy body healthy mind!’

Catherine O Brien – 4th class teacher.

The Daily Mile is something to look forward to in the day the Daily Mile is good for your mental and physical health the Daily Mile is not only fun but is good for you.

Isabelle Jackson- 4^th class pupil.

As a class teacher I find the Daily Mile to be well worthwhile. the children enjoy the routine; they gain much fitness, confidence, camaraderie while running and mental health in general. It was also the ideal way to break up long days in the classroom.

Barbara McDonagh – 5^th Class teacher.

After the Daily Mile, when you go back to the classroom, all you can see are breathless smiley faces. You can see the whole atmosphere has changed. I’m so happy St. Brigid’s national school has taken on the  Daily Mile . It has benefited both students and teachers. Physical education is as important as any education and the Daily Mile is helping that.

Laura Nunan 5^th class pupil.

“As a parent of three children in St Brigid’s National School I am happy and excited that Daily Mile has been introduced in the school from 3^rd to 6^th class. The benefits of the program have been well documented in the UK where it has been in operation for a number of years. The benefits are both physical with increased fitness and mental with improved concentration and performance in the classroom. The Daily Mile is an all inclusive program which I hope will be continued in Saint Brigid’s and introduced to other schools over the next few months. The Daily mile is a great way for children to get a break from the classroom while improving their own level of fitness-  yet it only takes 15 minutes a day”

Dianne Nunan – parent of two children in Saint Brigid’s

I think that the Daily Mile is a fun but challenging event and I think it is great for constantly maintaining a child’s fitness.  I also find it great for children to be able to get out of the class and stretch their legs for a bit during school. Some people like to talk which is nice and others – like me -go hard and run their hearts out.

I love the Daily Mile.

Samuel-  4^th class Pupil

The Daily Mile helps our mental and physical health. It increases our fitness and stamina. Best of all it’s fun.

Alice 4^TH Class pupil.

I think the Daily Mile is one of the best things that has happened in the school in a couple of years. As we all know at the moment a lot of children are glued to our screens.

Instead of looking at our screens we go out to the green and try and run around the course.

Joe Dwyer 4^th Class pupil

‘Not only is the Daily Mile easy to implement into classroom life but also it improves and enriches classroom life. Running, walking and moving each day are habits which we are told are so important to us all. Witnessing the positive way that simple, daily exercise can improve the life of children is inspiring. – it makes you want to grab a pair of runners and get out there yourself‘

Patrick Lowery 5^TH Class Teacher.

• The Daily Mile™ has already helped hundreds of thousands of school children to get active and improve their health and wellbeing.
• Today ITV and INEOS are launching a national campaign to persuade every primary school in the UK to take up The Daily Mile.
• ITV is supporting the initiative with an ambitious advertising and editorial push across its channels.

ITV is joining forces with INEOS to launch a national campaign to encourage all primary schools across the UK to take up The Daily Mile.

On 7th April, ITV will broadcast the first of a series of commercials, highlighting the importance of The Daily Mile and drawing attention to the extraordinarily positive impact it has on children’s fitness, health, and concentration levels.

The advertising campaign will be supported by editorial in ITV programmes as well as a series of nationwide events and a dedicated call centre for teachers and parents to find out more about the initiative.

Carolyn McCall, ITV’s Chief Executive, says, The Daily Mile has already proved a great success for the schools that are taking part with a hugely positive impact on children’s health and wellbeing. ITV wants to use the power of TV and the reach of our programming to change attitudes and behaviours towards living more healthily. We are aiming to get the whole country engaged with this initiative and every UK primary school taking part.”

The Daily Mile is simple and free and gets children out of the classroom for fifteen minutes every day to run or jog with their classmates, making them fitter, healthier, and more able to concentrate in the classroom.

Jim Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of INEOS and a keen runner himself, says “INEOS has been supporting The Daily Mile for the last three years. We know how important it is to encourage children to get fit and healthy and look after themselves, not just for today but for the years to come. We are delighted to be working with ITV to help take The Daily Mile to the next level”

Elaine Wyllie, the founder of The Daily Mile, former head teacher and a Pride of Britain Award winner will feature in the first commercial to introduce the campaign, “But the focus is on the children and the schools – The Daily Mile is theirs, and quickly and simply integrates into everyday school life”, she says.

Elaine says, “We have already had a lot of success with The Daily Mile, but this campaign will be a major step forward. With ITV’s and INEOS’s help, it’s my hope to get every primary school in the UK joining in The Daily Mile movement”.

Elaine started the initiative in 2012, whilst headteacher at St Ninians Primary School in Scotland. Since its launch, The Daily Mile has spread to over 900 schools in England, over 700 in Scotland, over 190 in Wales and over 55 in Northern Ireland.

The Daily Mile already has the formal backing of the Scottish and Welsh governments, and Elaine is now hoping that she can secure the support of the UK government to help her to roll out the campaign to every primary school in Britain.

Elaine Wyllie adds: “The Daily Mile has already changed the lives of many children for the better. It is free, fun and effective. It only takes fifteen minutes and has been shown to improve their health, fitness, and concentration in class. It is my hope that these benefits will be felt by children in schools across the UK.”

The first Daily Mile advert will run during one of ITV’s biggest programmes, Saturday Night Takeaway, and then be rolled out across all the ITV channels.

In addition to The Daily Mile’s first ever TV campaign, ITV will also support the initiative with editorial coverage across its flagship daytime programmes as well as social channels and online, directing viewers to www.thedailymile.co.uk.

To find out more about The Daily Mile visit www.thedailymile.ie, where teachers can sign up to join The Daily Mile movement and download resources to help them get started. Parents and teachers are encouraged to follow The Daily Mile on social media to keep up with all the latest news and share their Daily Mile experiences with the team.

Twitter: @thedailymile ire Facebook: thedailymile.ie #DailyMile

ENDS.

About ITV

ITV is an integrated producer broadcaster and the largest commercial television network in the UK. It is the home of popular television from the biggest entertainment events, to original drama, major sport, landmark factual series and independent news. It operates a family of channels including ITV, ITVBe, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 and CITV, which are broadcast free-to-air. ITV is also focused on delivering its programming via the ITV Hub, mobile devices, video on demand and third-party platforms. ITV Studios is a global production business, creating and selling programmes and formats from offices in the UK, US, Australia, France, Germany, the Nordics and the Netherlands. It is the largest and most successful commercial production company in the UK, the largest independent non-scripted indie in the US and ITV Studios Global Entertainment is a leading international distribution businesses.

About The Daily Mile

The Daily Mile was first developed by Elaine Wyllie when she was Headteacher of St Ninians Primary School in Stirling in February 2012. It is profoundly simple – but can be transformational to children’s health and wellbeing. It involves classes heading outside to jog or run around the school grounds every day, rain or shine, at whatever pace suits the child best. It gets children active with their friends and teachers, and refreshed for further learning. The Daily Mile is free, fun and fits in the school day easily. It only takes 15 minutes desk-to-desk, causing minimal disruption to the school day, but has lasting effects: not only do children become fit within 4 weeks, they are also reported to concentrate better in class, eat and sleep better at home, and develop stronger bonds with their classmates and teachers, too. Though named “The Daily Mile” (children tend to average running a mile in this time), the distance isn’t compulsory, and the ethos of the scheme is of inclusivity, enjoyment, and self-improvement over time. The Daily Mile is intended to help all children, no matter their age or personal circumstances, enjoy getting active every day- getting fitter and healthier now, but also developing healthy habits for a lifetime.

About INEOS

GO Run For Fun and The Daily Mile are both supported by INEOS, a multinational company headquartered in London, with health and fitness at the heart of its ethos. INEOS Chairman Jim Ratcliffe, who is himself deeply passionate about running, said: “It has never been more important to support young people in leading healthier, more active lives. We are very proud to support and celebrate these two initiatives that have been making a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of children in the UK and beyond, for the last four years.”

Media contacts

ITV: Laura Wootton (+44) 207 157 3056
Daily Mile: Joseph Wade (+44) 207 384 6980 – (+44) 7758 074 576
INEOS: Richard Longden (+41) 21 627 7063 – (+41) 79 962 61 23

Fact File

Address: Blennerville, Tralee, Co. Kerry, Rep. of Ireland.

Contact name: Terry O’Sullivan, Principal

Telephone: 066 7120207

Email: [email protected]

Our Experience of The Daily Mile

We began the Daily Mile in our school on 09/10/2017

Our school is a brand new building, in the picturesque village of Blennerville, which we moved into in January 2016. It is on the Dingle peninsula, in the south-west of Ireland, and we have a beautiful sea-view. It was worth the wait for our new building. We now have an indoor PE hall and an outdoor basketball court, things we do not take for granted, having been in a very cramped building and water-logged yard prior to 2016.

181 out of 181 children take part in the Daily Mile. Like all schools, we have children with medical needs, from diabetes to asthma to hemophilia, but they all make an effort to complete the mile every day.

Our 5^th class teacher Mrs Moynihan measured the distance around our school building with a trundlewheel prior to starting the Daily Mile, and worked out, during a maths lesson with her class, that 7 circuits around the school was equal to one exact mile. This was just one of the links we made with the Daily Mile and our school curriculum.

Each classroom was allocated a 15 minute slot during the school day, either first thing in the morning, or either side of break times, so there is never a huge group out running. Children are told which direction they should run in, and we change this from day to day, just to spice things up! Children line up when they are done, in their líne, and after a final head-count, go back into class for much needed hydration

We have had such a positive experience with this Daily Mile initiative. Children ask eagerly: “When are we doing the Daily Mile?” and never allow the teacher to forget. It can be a welcome bit of fresh air after hard work, and can simply clear your head of the cobwebs.

We made up a motto “A Daily Mile will make you smile” believing that it lifts the mood of the children and teachers. Children who usually are reserved in class have surprised teachers with chat on this informal jog and you wouldn’t believe the amount of children that have learned how to tell time, by simply waiting for their daily 15 minutes of running to arrive. Senior Infants have been known to remind their teacher at 12:15pm- “Teacher! It’s time for the Daily Mile!” There have been days where the weather has been unkind, but we just zip up our coats and get on with it! During stormy weather alright, we put down four cones in the school hall, and ran circuits in there instead, as the children simply didn’t want to miss their daily running slots.

A child from 4^th class, Gráinne, who is a member of our Health Promoting School committee was assigned the important job of changing the date and distance ran every day on a noticeboard we have at the school entrance. To date we have run 93 miles. We marked milestones such as: We have run as far as Killarney! We have run a marathon! We have run as far as Limerick! It’s great to see such positive statements and children are encouraged by all this positivity. At 100 miles, the entire school is going to awarded an ‘Off homework’ night.

Benefits we’ve noticed

Since starting The Daily Mile, we have noticed a very positive effect on children’s learning, concentration, focus, especially when run first thing in the morning surprisingly. When asked what your favourite thing at school is, children agreed it was the Daily Mile.

We do believe it has helped with better behavior and mood. It has given our older classes the confidence to enter a cross country running event, something we hadn’t tried before this year.

Children’s fitness has certainly improved. Children who had to walk the mile last October, are now jogging it with ease.

We would recommend, for schools getting started with the Daily Mile, to begin with jogging 2 laps of the school, followed by 3 that next day. We found that walking one and jogging one was also a great tip, as younger children have a tendency to go hell for leather and run until they get exhausted. A jogging pace is encouraged for this. It is safer and healthier. We would recommend that you let parents know the importance of good running shoes, properly tied, to be worn every day with the uniform, and a waterproof coat. We found also that children drank a lot more water after the Daily Mile, so increase the quantity given in drink beakers.

We have a page on our school website dedicated to all things sporty called our Active HPS page. We post photographs monthly of class winners of the Runner of the Month on this page: http://www.blennervillens.ie/pages/active-hps.php

One terrific runner in Senior Infants even pulls up his pants to his knees so his uniform will look like real runner’s shorts!

I can say with confidence that for Blennerville school, there is no going back. We tried this as a pilot school and have embraced it wholeheartedly. The Daily Mile is here to stay. It’s a winner!