On Your Mark, Get Set, RUN to Pacific Palisades!

Our Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students laced up their sneakers for an epic adventure: running from our Water Garden campus in Santa Monica to our home campus in Pacific Palisades…and they’re doing it without ever leaving the gym!

Coach Maxwell-Ordain and Coach Streimer, the School’s Lower School P.E. teachers, dreamed up this creative Destination Running Challenge that turned class into a virtual road trip. The mission? Complete 259 laps (7 miles!) as a class. Before running, the rules were explained: 37 laps equaled 1 mile and a four-minute time limit for students to complete as many laps as possible. 

Challenge accepted! Their initial goal on Week One was to reach the Santa Monica Pier. Week Two brought even more determination as students picked up where they left off, racing toward that finish line. Teachers even joined in the race, cheering them on to victory. Our determined runners didn’t just meet expectations—they SPRINTED past them, reaching Bienveneda Avenue (and beyond!) without missing a beat. 

This challenge showcases exactly what makes our P.E. program so special—teachers who think outside the box to make fitness fun, meaningful, and motivating. The P.E. teachers turned a simple workout into a shared adventure with goals and teamwork at the center.  

The adventure doesn’t stop there. The Lower School P.E. coaches are already planning the next exciting California destinations including Dodgers Stadium and Disneyland!