Grades 3 to 5 Students Develop Personal and Team Work Ethic
“I want a community where we cheer each other on across the finish line. I want us to celebrate growth and improvement. The students that stick with it come back year after year. They not only get to run races to win, but they can also run in our beautiful community of Ave Maria.” So does Mrs. Rhonda Aubert, Cross-Country Coach for Donahue Academy’s Grammar Stage (Grades 3-5), describe the aims of the school’s running program. The diligence and discipline virtues she alludes to also feed the endurance required for the race for the crown that never perishes.
Indeed, the school’s program has as its principal aim the cultivation of single-mindedness, or focus. “The biggest part of learning to be an athlete at this stage is learning to hold your focus. It can be very hard at this stage for the athletes to ignore distractions – whether a turtle along the way or a side chat. We stress the task: to finish the race,” says Mrs. Aubert.
When it comes to fellowship and community, she shares that accountability is a first skill the program aims to hone. “This is also the first time these students are expected to be accountable for themselves while being part of a corporate act – they must plan to have their change of clothes, their shoes, their filled water bottles to participate in the team practice. They learn very quickly what’s expected of them. It’s a great life skill.” Care for your teammates is also an important aspect of the program. “We stress that at every level we are a team. The fast runners know to loop back at the end to cheer their teammates across the finish line,” she says.
When it comes to team spirit, this cross-country team has a very special tradition: “The incredible reward – that popsicle at the end of practice – is something that I don’t know that I can put into words. I enjoy witnessing the joy in the children when they share this communion over a popsicle at the end. It’s their first experience being united in a team,” says Mrs. Aubert, who for eight NFL seasons was a New Orleans Saints cheerleader. Another important aspect of community, she adds, is the program’s volunteers: “We’ve organized a core group of volunteers. I call them the CCC – the Cross-Country Core – and I tell you, we couldn’t leave the parking lot without these ladies.”
Finally, when it comes to training and form, Mrs. Aubert says the program places “emphasis on warming up in a fun and enjoyable way. You have to prepare your body diligently. You don’t start in the World Series. You start at Spring Training.” Crucially, this academic year, Mrs. Aubert would also like her team to undertake spiritual preparation together more often, not just through prayer before practices and meets, but also by visiting Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, the source of all strength and perseverance. “Run, ‘Rox, Run! If your legs get tired, run with your heart!,” we chant!
