Colts bolt: Annual run a fun day for Chartiers Valley youngsters

Seven-year-old Hallie Goodworth was dressed for the occasion.

Matching her classmates with a yellow shirt, but with the words “Colt Bolt” printed on the shirt, Hallie was ready to tackle the Chartiers Valley Primary School’s annual jog-a-thon with her first grade peers.

The Colt Bolt, coordinated by the school’s Parent-Teacher Group, was held Oct. 10 at the high school track.

“It’s an opportunity for kids to get outside and practice healthy choices,” said Primary School Principal Deidra Stepko. “There’s a lot of school spirit, and everyone participates. It’s really something that brings us together as a school community.”

The Colt Bolt is the parent-teacher group’s biggest fundraiser of the year, said Kristy Rulnick, who coordinates the event with Sarah McKnight.

Funds raised go to student events like field trips, Rulnick said. Every student gets a yearbook for free because of the funds generated from the Colt Bolt.

The Colt Bolt has been going on for at least 10 years, Rulnick said. A strong sense of community is what makes the event special, she said.

“These kids have such school spirit, and we have supportive staff,” Rulnick said.

For Hallie, the Colt Bolt was a family event: her mother, Lisa Goodworth, helped as a volunteer and her sister, Janie, came out to the stadium to cheer her on. Hallie also got to run with her cousin, Mila Allshouse, who is also in first grade.

In the Colt Bolt, students run around the track for 15 minutes as their physical education teacher, Scott Vaughan, emcees and provides support.

Hallie said she ran four laps around the track, which equals 1 mile. She thinks she can run more than that next year.

“I feel like I’m going to be a good runner,” she said.

Easton Goodall, 6, ran six laps — 1½ miles.

“It’s fun to run with friends,” Easton said.

Stepko said the simplicity of the event is what makes it special and successful.

“It’s been pretty engraved in our school culture,” she said. “It’s what we do every fall. It’s the Colt Bolt.”