Originally published Oct. 28,2022 in Central Maine.
By Emily Duggan
After 25 years, Linda Peterson still gets excited every time one of her students crosses the finish line at the annual Chelsea school Fun Run.
Peterson, 61, has taught at Chelsea Elementary School for almost 30 years as a physical education teacher and has taken on the roles of bus driver and athletic director, too.
She started the Chelsea School Fun Run over two decades ago to share her passion for running with students and to hopefully encourage them to develop a healthy mindset around the physical activity — that running can be fun.
“It’s very rewarding,” said Peterson. “The reward of when I see the kids faces shine and happy and that makes it worthwhile. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s more of a feeling.”
“I like to start them (running) young to see if they develop a love for it,” she said. “I play music inside and they love to run to music. I’m the type of teacher that if I’m going to do it, I like to lead by example. We try to make it fun.”
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