Northside Elementary School's cross country kids® program

In This section you can meet the people, runners, and sponsors that make our program as successful as it is.

The Cross Country Kids 2008-2009 season has begun! Every Tuesday and Thursday morning over one hundred and thirty two children running with us, it has been a fun and exciting season. Remember our motto, run fast, run hard, walk if you must... but always finish and finish hard!

The reason we offer cross country kids at Northside? It's been scientifically proven that moderate to vigorous exercise improves the attention span of both children and adults. Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are also typically less "hyper" in class if they have regular physical exercise. Regular exercise is a safe and effective treatment for mild degrees of depression, and it also seems to boost the moods of people who aren't depressed. Hey... isn't this a great reason to have a quality physical education program and running program at your school!

"In an American Heart Association 1996 report, research showed children age five years and older should have a MINIMUM 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity (walking briskly, for example), and 30 minutes of vigorous physical activity (such as running or playing basketball) at least three times a week." - Robert Needlman M.D., F.A.A.P.

Cross country kids offers forty five minutes of exercise twice per week. 
If you still need another reason that we have a cross country kids program...???  It's FUN of course!!!