Walk Across Kansas puts HES students on path to exercise
Fifth-grader Taylor Nikkel leads the pack with 63 miles
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
Although they may not make the 400-plus miles it takes to cross the state, about two dozen Hillsboro Elementary Students are walking their way toward something better: good health.
They're part of a program called "Walk Across Kansas," which encourages all elementary grades to walk for exercise and companionship.
This is the program's second year, said HES counselor Mike Moran.
Every Wednesday and Friday morning at 8 a.m., a group of volunteer walkers gathers behind the elementary building to circle a quarter-mile path. The goal each morning is four times around the path, to equal one mile.
There are usually about ten students out each morning, Moran said, mostly the upper grades.
The students' progress is charted in distances. Ten miles equals the distance from Hillsboro to Marion. Thirty miles is enough to get you across Marion County, and 60 miles gets you from Hillsboro to Wichita.
Miles ahead of the rest of her fellow walkers is fifth-grader Taylor Nikkel, who's walked 63 miles so far. That's the equivalent of a trip to Wichita.
That total includes Nikkel's miles from the last school year. She's been a faithful walker, Moran said.
"She's always there," he said.
Usually the students walk in groups, using the time to chat. Some of the fifth-grade boys share a walking football game while rounding the path.
But besides the obvious benefits of exercise and fresh air, it's also a time for Moran to get to know some of the students at HES that he might not ordinarily get to talk to much.
"We just have fun walking and talking," he said.
When a student hits 10 miles, he or she gets a certificate up on the wall. That student also gets a final certificate once they graduate from elementary school.
Another dedicated walker is Evan Wienck, who's clocked 35 miles — enough to cross Marion County.
Other students who've walked the 10-mile distance from Hillsboro to Marion include Ben Bebermeyer, Bailey McCarty, Sam Bookless, Neal Kaiser, Becky Faber, Matthew Richert, Chance Reece, Micaela Hinerman, Colby Meier, Elise Heyen, Emma Heyen, Ben Steketee, Jacob Edwards, Tyler Ediger, Jasmine Ensz, Allister Young, Trisha Pankratz, and Matthew Martin.
