Westwood Elementary Students Raise $15K in Annual Fun Run (PHOTOS)

students raised an estimated $15,000 in pledges for their annual Fun Run on Friday, PTA President Rachel Goyette said.

With music blasting, parents cheering and just enough of a breeze to go with the sunshine, students hit their stride and lapped the track over and over again. Every five laps on the track equaled a mile and many students ran more than 20 laps.

Some parents did, too.

Principal Mike Mosgrove, unable to run because of an injury, cheered the students on from the sidelines with more than 100 volunteers. Mosgrove came with his hair colored blue, and his face painted yellow and blue—lots of school spirit. Students had filled up coin jars in every classroom to raise money for the school's foundation, and therefore got to choose a silly task for Mosgrove. Out of all the suggested silly tasks, Mosgrove randomly picked the paper slip with the painted face option.

He could have come dressed as Hannah Montana, so this was much better, Mosgrove laughed. Maybe next year.

Goyette said the Fun Run is the major spring fundraiser for the PTA, which helps purchase books, supplies and technology equipment for the school. All grades, for a total of 25 classrooms, participated in the run in 45 minute timeslots. Gyminny Kids Gymnastics representatives led students in stretches before each run.

More than 100 volunteers helped out, too, passing out (and spraying the runners with) water, running alongside the students and checking off the number of laps completed on sheets of paper on students' backs.

"We're really lucky," Goyette said as students ate popsicles following the run. "We seldom need for volunteers."