A MOMENT CAPTURED:
JAWS pursues fitness
Tiffany Brown
Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008 | 2 a.m.
“Shark’s coming!”
Children scream playfully and kick up dust in the bright morning sunshine as they are chased by physical education teacher Sara Trone. She dons the popular shark costume and chases the students around the track, racking up a solid 2 1/2 miles herself before the first bell rings.
School doesn’t start for 45 more minutes, but students — including, from left, Brandon Cowen, 7; Samuel Piazza, 10; and Jorge Magana, 9 — and a handful of parents have begun walking and running around a well-trodden track, which runs a quarter-mile around the park bordering James Gibson Elementary School in Henderson.
Trone estimates there are more than 400 children in the JAWS (Jogging And Walking) program at Gibson. The Clark County School District estimates 55 percent of the county’s elementary schools have JAWS programs, while schools do either early morning or after school running clubs.
At Gibson, JAWS takes place before school and at lunch every day except Wednesdays.
“They get a punch for every lap and when they fill up a card (15 miles) they get a little foot charm for a bracelet,” Trone explains. “I think this definitely makes running a fun thing, a community thing. They’re seeing their friends from school, they’re seeing families and dogs and other parents that come out and join in.”
In her fourth year working in the district and first year at Gibson, she says, “I think we have a really good program going on here. It’s great to see the improvements.”
And what’s it like in the costume?
“HOT!” she says. “But it’s fun, it’s a blast. I have the greatest job ever. I love it!”
Discussion: 1 comment so far…
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.
Post a comment
Spotlight
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas to close in May
- Pricey land buy on Strip a bit of a surprise
- Engineering marvel taking shape near Hoover Dam
- Harry Reid’s co-writer unloads while discussing polls, Obama quote
- Police: Legal runner returned to home, shot husband and wife
- Grim numbers show Nevada leads nation in suicides over 60
- The 10 best steakhouses in Las Vegas
- UNLV back in the polls: No. 23 in AP, No. 25 in ESPN/USA Today
- MGM Mirage to leave N.J. in dispute over Macau partner
- GOP should blame itself for deficit, not Democrats
Blogs
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Miners sue to block mining tax initiative (3 Comments)
Shark Bytes
Willis reminds me of another great UNLV guard (5 Comments)
Elsewhere
With aggressive push, Internet gambling again in play
The Kats Report
A very quick list of which females could replace Steven Tyler in Aerosmith (18 Comments)
A 3.5-day sprint, highlighted superflously at Flamingo with Las Vegas newcomers
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Horsford: No taxes now, but tax reform later (14 Comments)
Gibbons: Cutting the budget can help me raise money (12 Comments)
Calendar »
- 10 Wed
- 11 Thu
- 12 Fri
- 13 Sat
- 14 Sun
-
Harlem Globetrotters at The Orleans Arena
Orleans Hotel-Casino
-
House of Lounge giveaway at Wasted Space
Wasted Space | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Rakim at LAX
LAX Nightclub | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Gilley's Casting Call at Treasure Island
Treasure Island Hotel and Casino
-
Freddy B and Mike Remedy at Blush
Blush Boutique Nightclub | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Blushing at Blue Martini
Blue Martini | 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati




















Ms. Trone was my PE teacher my first year teaching in Vegas. You will not find a more devoted PE teacher who truly enjoys her work! She is very active with her own two sons and whenever she has the chance to incoporate her family, her hobbies and her school into daily regiment she will without a second thought. Many Saturday's during the year you will find her hiking with her students... with her two sons in the lead (8 and 4). Sara Trone in a shark suit?? You'll find her dressed up as a reindeer during Xmas playing reindeer tag, dressed up on field day (depending on the theme), etc... exercise is definitly a fun experience with Trone as your teacher!