Last Updated on January 17, 2024 3:38 pm
BOONE, N.C. — Girls on the Run of the High Country will offer its Heart & Soul middle school program for girls in grades 6-8 this spring. The program provides girls of all abilities with the tools and space they need to learn more about themselves, explore new ideas, build friendships and develop skills that will help them now and in the future.
The program will be offered at Watauga County Parks and Recreation on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m., and at Valle Crucis School on Mondays and Thursdays from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Team meetings will begin on Monday, Feb. 5.
“Heart & Sole could make any girl fearless, because when you’re surrounded by people you trust, respect and care for, nothing can hold you back from being the most beautiful person you have grown to be,” said Josie, a sixth grade Heart & Sole participant.
Heart & Sole is accessible to all girls, regardless of athletic ability or fitness level, and considers the range of ages and varied experiences of middle school girls. Physical activity is a core element of the program and includes strength and conditioning appropriate for this age group. The season concludes with the Girls on the Run 5K — a celebratory event that provides girls with a tangible sense of goal setting and achievement.
The program has a sliding scale fee from $25 to $100 and includes practices, program materials and registration for the 5K event, as well as a shirt, water bottle and goody bag.
Registration for Heart & Sole is now open. Space is limited at each site. More information about the program and registration can be found at gotr.appstate.edu.
Girls on the Run of the High Country is a program of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Institute for Health and Human Services in App State’s Beaver College of Health Sciences.
About Girls on the Run
Based in Charlotte, N.C., Girls on the Run is a nonprofit organization with local councils in all 50 states. Founded in 1996 with 13 girls, Girls on the Run has now served over 2 million girls. Over the course of the program, girls in 3rd-8th grade develop social, emotional and physical skills to successfully navigate life experiences. The program culminates with girls positively impacting their communities through a service project and being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5K event. With the largest 5K series by the number of events in the world, Girls on the Run hosts more than 330 5Ks per year. Girls on the Run is included as a top research-based program in a Social-Emotional Learning Guide developed by researchers at Harvard University and has been recognized by the National Afterschool Association (NAA) as one of the most influential after-school programs. Girls on the Run is offered in more than 13,000 sites across the U.S.
