Cherokee Charter Academy’s newest club is off-and-running, thanks to River Ridge High School senior Lauren Rusch. Starting the CCA Running Club is Lauren’s senior project. Her mom is a teacher at CCA and Lauren knows the school’s campus & running trails from her time on the American Heritage Academy cross country team. The campus on Sixes Road in Canton was home to American Heritage before CCA took it over in 2011.
Besides running, Lauren has club members play games that build bonds between teammates. Lauren hopes the club will evolve into a cross country team next school year when CCA (K-9) adds a 10th grade. 8th grader Megan Arendt says she made a lot of new friends and says the club, “taught us about teamwork while playing games. We got to exercise and have fun at the same time.” 6th grader Sophia George says the club is fun and a real challenge. “At first I could only run half a lap without stopping. But now I can run a whole mile!”