Michael F. Devine, Superintendent
180 Harborview Road
Hull, MA 02045
For Immediate Release
Monday, Dec. 2, 2019
Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: kelsey@jgpr.net
Hull’s Jacobs Elementary School Students Participate in Annual Turkey Trot
HULL — Superintendent Michael Devine and Principal Christine Cappadona are pleased to share that Jacobs Elementary School students participated in the annual Turkey Trot race and pep rally last week.
On Wednesday, Nov. 27, Jacobs Elementary hosted its 11th annual Turkey Trot race. Students in kindergarten through grade five began their day by gathering in the gymnasium for a pep rally. Then, fourth and fifth grade students set off on a 1.2 mile race, completing two laps through the streets surrounding the school while other students cheered them on.
Jacobs‘ Turkey Trot first started in September 2009 — a brain child of Principal Christine Cappadona and Assistant Principal Kyle Shaw — which brought fifth grade students together for some friendly competition. The entry fee to participate was a donation of canned goods.
Since its inception, students participating in the Turkey Trot have donated more than 15,000 canned goods to the local food pantry Wellspring. This year alone, students collected 1,626 canned goods for the drive. Cheryl Kenney’s second grade homeroom won the drive, collecting the most cans and earning a dodgeball game for the class.
Each year, the school also picks a song that serves as the theme of the rally and as motivation for the student runners. This year, students chose “This Is Me” by Keala Settle. In addition, students sing the “National Anthem” each year.
This year, the Turkey Trot pep rally featured the first ever frozen turkey toss. Teachers Maura Jones and Lindsey Rajan completed five tosses and earned a pajama day for the whole school on Friday, Dec. 6.
The event would not be complete without someone donning the famed turkey costume, which various administrators and teachers have traded off wearing over the years. This year, Paraprofessional Mary Sweeney wore the costume, serving as the mascot for the day.
Highlights of this year’s Turkey Trot race included Finn Walsh being the first ever fourth-grader to win the race and Officer Louis Costa, the longtime Jacobs fifth grade D.A.R.E. officer, working his last event detail after 32 years of service. Students cheered for Officer Costa and thanked him for his service while he worked detail for the run.
“It’s fun for us to host this event, which allows us to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with the students right before they go on break,” Assistant Principal Shaw said. “Each year, our students amaze us with their canned good donations, so rewarding them with a fun day of a pep rally and race is the least we can do to celebrate their hard work and make it festive.”
The winners of this year’s Turkey Trot were:
Fifth grade girls:
- 3rd place – Libby Harper
- 2nd place – Calista Wyman
- 1st place – Meghan Duran
Fifth grade boys:
- 3rd place – Tristan Lofgren
- 2nd place – Nate Tiani
- 1st Place – Christian Truglia
Fourth grade girls:
- 3rd place – Addison Littlefield
- 2nd place – Brianna Ramos
- 1st place – Gianna Thorne
Fourth grade boys:
- 3rd place – Iktan Guzman
- 2nd Place – Colin English
- 1st place – Finn Walsh
###