The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

YES Prep is a Partner in the 2011 Houston Chevron Marathon

July 07, 2010 by James Sheridan

One of the YES Thinks & Acts is “The strong should take care of the weak,” and YES Prep Southeast never demonstrated that better than during Mile 15 of the 2010 Chevron Houston Marathon.

Over fifteen YES Prep Southeast Wizard students lined the course near the Galleria, serving as support for the packs of runners, shouting their names, offering encouragement, ready to contact officials if a runner needed assistance. The students and their teacher Bonnie Rhoden volunteered as part of the school’s mission, Youth Engaged in Service, but there was a secondary motive as well. Four YES teachers were running; School Director Jason Bernal, Sixth Grade English Teacher Geneva Rhee, Ninth Grade English Teacher James Sheridan, and Special Education Coordinator Brittney Barron from the Southeast campus were all fighting their way through the 26.2 mile course that day. And each time a YES teacher passed the students, a huge cry of support rose up. Seeing the students supporting their teachers during this crucial part of the race gave me a huge life of spirit and energy. That moment embodies everything that makes YES Prep such a special place: a community of students and teachers supporting each other.

This year we are excited to announce that YES Prep Public Schools was chosen by the Houston Marathon Committee to be an official charity of the 2011 Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon, EP5K and ABB Team Challenge! This means that YES Prep will participate in the Run for a Reason Charity Program in which runners fundraise for one of the 51 participating non-profit organizations. This association is an exciting one because YES Prep will gain exposure by being a part of Houston’s largest single-day sporting event! By getting our name in front of 30,000 Houstonians we are sure to get more supporters, not to mention donations! As a partner with the Houston Marathon, YES benefits because we will be able to hire more teachers, create more opportunities, and fund more sporting events and extracurricular activities for our students across Houston.

As I look forward to the 2011 race, I am proud to run the race for a third time, hoping to finish with my fastest time ever. As the Cross Country coach at YES Prep Southeast, I am so proud to show my runners and students how setting a difficult goal (finishing a 26.2 mile race) can be achieved with hard work and having a commitment to excellence. With YES as a partner with the Marathon, this year’s race will be even more meaningful to me. I always run for a personal reason—to do the best I can with what I have that day. However, this year, I will be running for another reason—to help raise funds and awareness of YES Prep Public Schools, I place that I believe is truly transforming Houston through education. And, both races are marathons, not sprints, so I have to get running and be ready on the day.

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