With the 17-18 school year coming to an end, SIS teachers enjoyed their weekend with a triathlon on May 20. The event consisted of cycling, swimming, and running with participants competing either individually or as a group. SIS and KIS teachers, siblings, and children were all invited to participate. This tradition of having a yearly triathlon has been around for more than a decade, and teachers hope that it will continue in the future.
“For the past two years that I have been at SIS, Amy Valerio, former high school vice principal, was in charge of organizing the triathlon,” said Mindi Harman, high school math teacher and event coordinator. “I always helped her, and I guess I took the reins when she left last year because I enjoyed it so much. This year, I decided to make a website about the triathlon to help people find out basic information about the event, such as the costs, the routes, and the participants.”
While Ms. Harman was in charge of organizing the whole event, it was essentially a collaborative effort by the teachers. Since the biking and running took place at Tancheon while the swimming was at the pool in SIS, Tim Munroe, high school physical education teacher, drove participants from the school to the river. David Coleman, Coordinator for Teaching Learning and Tiger Times adviser, organized the post-event barbecue and high school art teacher Jane Mitchell designing shirts for the participants.
“What I am most looking forward to is being able to interact and spend time with the different teachers,” Ms. Harman said. “Even though we live near each other, we are caught up with schoolwork and personal schedules that we do not have many opportunities to bond and make memories. The triathlon is one of the few opportunities for many teachers to come together. I hope that this year’s triathlon [was] as enjoyable as they have been in the past.”
In addition to strengthening the sense of community and having fun, there are teachers who are looking forward to beating their personal times from previous years. Aquatics coach Cindy Presse participated individually in the event three times and had success beating her previous time each try.
“The first year I participated, the time I got was one hour and one minute,” Ms. Presse said. “The second year, I got 59 minutes and improved as well in the third year. This year, I am hoping for 58 minutes. I have been preparing for the Ironman Triathlon, so I believe that my training for that competition will help me perform well in the triathlon.”
After the triathlon, teachers wrapped up their day with a barbecue party. At the gathering, prizes that were donated by teachers were handed out through raffles, and trophies were given. Specifically, the “Off the Couch” Trophy has been going around from teacher to teacher for the past several years. The trophy is given to the teacher who did not train daily during the year but still participated in the triathlon. In the previous year, it was given to Jeffrey McEvoy-Hein, high school math teacher, and this year, it was handed to high school science teacher Alyssa Shelby as she was pregnant.
“I think the triathlon is a great activity for all of the teachers and volunteer students to bond and get in shape,” Jessica Langham (11), daughter of high school English teachers James Fischer and Jessica Terbrueggen, said. “It was fun to watch everyone cheer each other on. I think that the triathlon should definitely continue in the future because of the joy and positivity it fills everyone with.”