Every Friday at Robertson Road Elementary School in west Modesto, students leave class early to participate in a mile run. The event starts with stretches and a chant before the main activity: trying to outrun Principal Guillermo López Romo.
The tradition began two years ago when then-third-grader Freddy struggled in school. He shared with Romo that he enjoyed push-ups, leading to contests in the principal’s office. “We both got on my floor, we started doing push-ups. I think it was like 10. And then I said, ‘How do you feel?’” Romo recalled. “He said, ‘I feel a lot better.’”
The activity soon moved outside and drew more students who wanted to challenge the principal. After seeing its popularity, fifth-grade teacher Kendra Shervington invited Romo to join her class for a morning mile run. This led Romo to extend the invitation schoolwide.
“A few teachers started joining, more students, and by the end of the school year last year, everyone was out there running with me,” Romo said.
During the 2024-25 school year, Romo ran with students whenever possible but scheduling made it difficult for everyone to join at once. This year, however, the 2 p.m. Friday mile run is now part of the weekly schedule for students and teachers.
Sixth-grader Lucas recently finished first place with a time of 6 minutes and 46 seconds, beating Romo for the seventh time. Some students look forward most to beating their principal each week. Dylan, a fifth-grader in Shervington’s class, said they enjoy Fridays “cause we beat the principal.”
Romo noted Freddy’s growth since starting these activities together: “I can’t say it’s all because of push-ups and running, but he’s matured. He’s not the same kid he was in third grade,” Romo said. “He’s special to us because of everything he’s done and everything he’s gone through, and he has really turned it around with a lot of his decisions, so I’m proud of him for that.”
Freddy expressed surprise at inspiring this tradition: “My small idea, it made everything happen,” he told The Bee.
