Girls on the Run promotes female-empowerment at Levy Lakeside

“When you’re running, not everyone is going to be your speed,” said Darian Tocci, a sixth-grade student at Levy Lakeside Elementary School and peer coach of its Girls on the Run organization. She shared with the club what it taught her at its final meeting on June 5, adding, “Everyone does things differently and you need to be respectful of that.”

Girls on the Run formed at Levy Lakeside in 2013 as part of the Long Island chapter of the international organization of the same name. Each year, students participate in various running-based activities, which culminate in an Island-wide 5K. As this year’s members shared what they learned, however, the lessons were more about teamwork and community than running.

“[Girls] are bombarded with so many messages in the media… teaching them how to act and how to look,” said Assistant Coach Paulette Cicchillo, who is also a psychologist at Levy Lakeside. “Here they learn to support each other and cheer each other on,” she added.

In addition to Cicchillo, Head Coach Lori Schneider, who is also a school social worker, and Assistant Coach Eilleen Robinson, who is also a second-grade teacher, strive to empower the girls through the team-building activities offered through the program. Participants encourage each other to express their emotions when it comes to pursuing their goals, said Cicchillo.

At the final meeting, the girls earned awards that recognized their individual strengths and highlighted times in which they showed such strengths. The award ceremony furthered the club’s dedication toward empowering its members. “Everybody has their own star-power,” sixth-grade student and peer coach Erin Austein shared with the group.

Girls on the Run began in 1996 with one school in Charlotte, North Carolina and grew to include over 200 schools before becoming an international organization in 2000, according to its website. At Levy Lakeside, third through fifth-grade students are invited to participate and sixth-grade students act as peer coaches. The club runs at the school for during the fall and spring.