Principal’s Corner by Steve Kovach

We are excited that April is just around the corner.

The month of April doesn’t make us happy because it has historically been MCA testing month, but April is the month of Southwest Middle School’s annual Tiger Trot 5k run and walk and the Albert Lea Family Y Fountain Lake 5!

We have worked very hard to make this a community fitness event and had a great time last year at our 10th annual event. We are fortunate to once again be partnering with the Y and this year the Fountain Lake 5 will be in its 39th year!

The foundation of this event is the hard work our students put in during their physical education class. The amount of improvement our students show through their fitness dedication has been excellent over the years. The ultimate goal is creating positive habits that lead our students (and community) to lifelong fitness.

The Tiger Trot/Fountain Lake 5 is an event where students can come and celebrate fitness with their family, friends and community.

This celebration is also Southwest Middle School’s only fundraising event. Students put in time getting sponsorship or donations and we put this all together with our registration fees. The money we raise goes directly back to our students, as we fund many great services — such as planners for student organization, exploratory days where students can have experiences outside of our curriculum, buses for field trips, instrument rentals for students and many more.

We invite everyone to join us at 9 a.m. April 22 at Brookside Education Center for the 11th annual Tiger Trot 5k run  and walk. The Tiger Trot 5k course is now a certified 5k! You can register from the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce website at www.albertlea.org/events/details/tiger-trot-1496.

See you there!

Steve Kovach is the principal at Southwest Middle School.