Christopher Peak Photo
Nearly 510 Clemente students took their classes to the streets Thursday, parading through the Hill to a nearby park.
Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy for Global Awareness, a K‑8 magnet school on Columbus Avenue, was holding its annual walk-a-thon, marching in a long line behind a police escort and a marching band.
Michael Youngman, a physical education teacher, first started the walk-a-thon at Brennan-Rogers eight years ago as a way to promote fitness. He brought the concept to Clemente two years ago when he became its magnet resource coach, helping to manage a federal grant to transition from a neighborhood school. Other walk-a-thons started up at King-Robinson, L.W. Beecher and Fair Haven Schools.
Along the way, the concept has grown into something much bigger, Youngman said. There’s now a fundraising component and an emphasis on building the school’s culture and connections to the neighborhood.
“Are we doing this because we want to go on a walk? Is this a fundraiser? This is about becoming a family,” Pam Franco, Clemente’s principal, told students seated in groups on the gymnasium’s hardwood floor. “We’re all about global awareness. We’re learning about people all over the world. We also need to learn about each other. Let’s make new friends and be nice to each other.”
The Hillhouse High School marching band kicked off the event, streaming onto the center of the basketball court behind a drill squad. Some of the youngsters covered their ears as the cymbals crashed. The band did two numbers, then led the classes out onto Howard Avenue, where a police cruiser had blocked off traffic.
Some classes waved black and white flags. One group of girls started up a chant of the school’s initials — “R.C.LA., R.C.LA., R.C.LA.” — and rushed to say the letters faster and faster.
As the band turned around corners, patrons and workers came out of barbershops, law firms and eateries, some of them waving at the students. On Spring Street, homeowners watched from their porches.
“This community is beautiful,” beamed Sherri Lynn Davis, who leaned over her front fence as the students walked by. “There’s a lot of love in the Hill.”
Parents also walked alongside their kids, sometimes holding their hands or pushing strollers. Many stuck around to watch the students playing in the park, filming clips on their cell phones or watching from the shade.
Several said that participating in the walk-a-thon made them feel closer to the school.
The event finished up outside Truman School, where the elementary and middle schools split up for different games.
In one area, some hit the swings and playground; others took to the basketball and tennis courts. Across the street, students competed in duck-duck-goose, limbo, and an egg toss. Others got their faces painted.
The fourth-graders split up by gender for a game of tug-of-war. The girls beat the boys three times in a row.
Kimberly Adams, a nurse watching over a special-education student, said she was enjoying herself. As a grandmother, she said, “I haven’t been around this many kids in a long time.”
Past walk-a-thons Youngman organized have raised up to $5,000. That money pays for bus rides on field trips and extra uniforms.
