Coeur d'Alene kids show they 'can do hard things'
A three-way photo finish between fifth graders from Hayden Meadows, Dalton Elementary, and Bryan Elementary at Thursday's annual Coeur d'Alene School District Cross Country Meet.
HAILEY HILL/Press
Fourth graders from the Northwest Expedition Academy lock in ahead of their race during the CDA School District Cross Country Meet.
Fourth grade girls line up ahead of their race during the CDA District Cross Country Meet.
And they're off! Fifth grade boys run their race in the CDA School District Cross Country Meet.
Winners of the fifth grade boys' race, from left: Aurelius Brennan (Sorensen Magnet School), Evan Wallace (Bryan Elementary) and Quinten Wilburn (Ramsey Elementary).
Emma Weinberger and Xander Werner sing the national anthem ahead of Thursday's CDA School District Cross Country Meet.
COEUR d’ALENE — The spirit of competition was strong at the Coeur d’Alene School District’s annual Cross-Country Meet — but for event organizers, the tradition is all about helping the kids build their confidence.
“Can you do hard things?” one teacher asked through the microphone.
“Yeah!” the kids shouted back.
About 750 kids from the 10 elementary schools within the district ran in Thursday’s event, with races held for each grade level from first through fifth grade. Thursday’s event marked the 36th year the school district has held a cross country meet for the elementary schools.
“I really enjoy the gathering of all the schools and the excitement it brings,” said Marla Nixon, who teaches physical education at Bryan Elementary School.
“I told the kids: Don’t worry about winning, just have fun!” said Heather Montee, a running coach with Bryan Elementary School.
Still, for many of the kids, Thursday was all about winning.
Quinten Wilburn, a fifth grader at Ramsey Elementary, took home first place in the fifth grade boys race — and was ready to win well before the finish line.
“Winning feels really good. I practiced running around the block at home,” Quinten said.
Sorensen Elementary’s Aurelius Brennan took home second place — and was proud to do so.
“I’m feeling pretty accomplished because I actually don’t train at all,” Aurelius said.
Evan Wallace, from Bryan Elementary, was more than happy with his third-place win.
“It went really well. It was an amazing race, and I couldn’t have done it without the other competition,” he said.
Fourth graders from the Northwest Expedition Academy lock in ahead of their race during the CDA School District Cross Country Meet.
Fourth grade girls line up ahead of their race during the CDA District Cross Country Meet.
And they're off! Fifth grade boys run their race in the CDA School District Cross Country Meet.
Winners of the fifth grade boys' race, from left: Aurelius Brennan (Sorensen Magnet School), Evan Wallace (Bryan Elementary) and Quinten Wilburn (Ramsey Elementary).
Emma Weinberger and Xander Werner sing the national anthem ahead of Thursday's CDA School District Cross Country Meet.