ROSINTON, Ala. - For the 55 members of “The Rosinton Runners” and their sponsor and P.E. coach Whitney Stephens, it’s more than just 30 minutes of running around the track after school twice a week…it’s a lifestyle.

“We compete in at least one run a month and all the members have to do two runs a year. That is my requirement for being part of the club and the kids really love it. Some of the parents even come out and run with them after school or in the runs each month,” Stephens said.

Open to fourth, fifth and sixth graders, the club has been around for a long time, Stephens said. “Lonnie Hughes, a former sixth grade teacher here, came up with the idea for the club as well as the Armadillo Dash held each March. He said he came up with the name after he kept passing dead armadillos each morning on the way to school.”

Stephens, a 2004 Robertsdale High School graduate and 2008 graduate of the University of South Alabama with a B.S. in Physical Education, is a first-year teacher at Rosinton and could not be more thrilled to be the running club’s sponsor.

“I am so honored and proud to be involved in this club. I so enjoy seeing the kids everyday and working with them. They have done so well and I am so proud of their progress and enthusiasm for running,” Stephens said.

Running a mile each time they meet on the school’s three-year old track, Stephens said they had 64 kids participate in the Honeybee 5K run on October 2 in Robertsdale and 10 kids got medals.

“We won a trophy and $250 for having the biggest percentage of students participate from one school. Although we only have 311 kids in the school and other schools have a lot more, we had the biggest ratio for our school and that was so good for us,’ Stephens said. “Even Dr. Hardin ran with us.”

Among the winners from Rosinton, Stephens said Wyatt Red, a fourth grader, won fifth place overall in the race with a time of 17:48. “He was ahead of some adults twice as big as him. I was so proud of him.”

This Saturday, Stephens said they are doing the Fairhope Sunset Rotary Club’s race, “Runnin in the Streets” and 20 kids are signed up. On October 30, they are doing the Prodisee Pantry Turkey Trot and on December 4, they are doing Daphne’s Jingle Bell Run.

“The school pays for half of the registration fee (usually about $15-20) and the students pay the other half. They have to sell three coupon books to participate and we get lots of support from the community as well,” Stephens said.

Selling tie-dye “Rosinton Runner” t-shirts has helped with some of the expense and Stephens said they have sold about 200 shirts and will continue to sell them for $20 a piece. They come on sizes extra small to 3XL and have plenty available.

“We are trying to get grants and other funding from different places so we can do more. Just a matter of time,” Stephens said.

To participate in the club, students can only have two unexcused absences, Stephens said, and if they have three or more days of detention, they have to quit the club. They can rejoin after December is they have no more behavior problems. “I want them to have fin but I also expect them to show good behavior and be respectful too.”

The running club and also the school participated in a Relay for Life walk-a-thon on Friday, October 8 at the school and raised $1,991 with each grade level having walkers, Stephens said. They are going to participate in the Relay for Life for South/Central Baldwin on Friday, November 19 at Pioneer Park in Summerdale starting at 6 p.m. as well.