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The launch of ‘Walk a Marathon’ challenge at Listellick National School on Monday. Photo by Lisa O’Mahony.
IT was a sleety, blustery morning at Listellick National School as they launched their ‘Walk a Marathon’ challenge and the students were happy to get out of the classroom to begin the first day of it on Monday.
The school plans to become more active by walking a kilometre a day for 42 days. Mr O’Sullivan and Mr Finn were the teachers who came up with the idea that would keep the school fit and active. The student council is helping to organise the project.
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Mr. Jimmy Deenihan, Chairperson of the Kerry Recreation and Sports Partnership and a former P.E Teacher, launched the project for the school. This fitness promoting initiative will see the school become one of the first primary schools in Ireland to have all of its 200+ pupils completing either a full or half marathon in a non-competitive and fun way.
Annette Dineen, Principal of Listellick National School, speaking at the launch said; “When Mr O’Sullivan came to the office and said we’ll do a marathon, I nearly had a heart attack! There’s no way I could do 42km in a day. Then he said ‘no, we’ll do a kilometre every day’,” much to the principal’s relief!
The senior classes will walk a kilometre a day, including Saturdays and Sundays, while the junior classes will walk half a kilometre a day. The children are undertaking this challenge not only to improve their fitness levels, but also to help raise funds to introduce further fitness initiatives and to purchase PE equipment.
This unique challenge also provides the children with fantastic learning opportunities across the curriculum from history to maths. Aidan O’Mahony has promised to visit the school on the last day of the marathon.
Annette Dineen and Jimmy Deenihan at the Launch of the school’s ‘Walk a Marathon’ on Monday. Photo by Lisa O’Mahony.
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Darragh O’Shea, Jack Gibbon, Emily Bolagh, Kelly Gainer, Shauna Harris, Emma Dunican and Oisín O’Sullivan with Sergeant Eileen O’Sullivan, Jimmy Deenihan, Annette Dineen and Seamus Moriarty at the Launch of ‘Walk a Marathon’ on Monday. Photo by Lisa O’Mahony.
