Oak teacher named Grand Marshal of Rotary Run Charity Classic

School District 181’s own Marianne Biedrzycki will serve as the Grand Marshal for The Rotary Run Charity Classic 2018 which is slated for Sunday, Oct. 14 in Hinsdale.

Mrs. B, as she is known to her students at Oak Elementary School, has spent the past 20 years encouraging her students and fellow D181 staff members to participate in the event that benefits the Hinsdale Rotary Foundation, the District 181 Foundation, The Community House of Hinsdale, The Ray Graham Foundation, and the Hinsdale Hospital Foundation.

Registration for the event is already underway with special rates of $20 per person and $75 for families for all “early bird” signups by June 1. Registration is available at https://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1179164.

Since 2011, “The Mrs. B Trophy” has been awarded to the District 181 school that not only registered the most runners, but actually turned them out to run.

“Initially I felt the Great Rotary Run was a fun way to culminate my fitness unit and to participate in an important community event,” Biedrzycki said. “As the run got bigger and bigger, the kids liked it more and more.”

Asked about the many events she has experienced during the race, Mrs. B recalled the year she switched from teaching at Monroe School to Oak School. That year, the two schools finished neck and neck at the end of the race.

“They were so close, like one or two kids, then there was a recount and, in the end, Oak won it. I said, ‘Can you just give it to both?,’” she said hoping against hope knowing that was not possible. “I guess every kid counts.

Another memory involved a student who was unable to participate in the race.

“One of my kids couldn’t do the run but did the 10-step “Walk and Roll” with his grandpa and he still went to the main race, cheering on his teammates and friends.”

In another case she recalled, “We had a student who was a cancer survivor and did the walk the year she recovered. That was so meaningful.”

She’s also proud of one dad who puffed his way to the finish line last year. Later she learned that it was his first run — ever. And then there was the mom who ran with her daughter to support her youngster, only to realize she was out of shape and needed to start exercising herself.

Rotarian and Great Rotary Run MC, Greg Donnelly believes Mrs. B has motivated hundreds, perhaps thousands of kids to participate in the Great Rotary Run.

“She has been a driving force in encouraging District 181 students to be active and physically fit throughout the year,” he said. to and throughout their lives, “Mrs. B gets it. The kids are learning to get fit while giving back to their community.”