Hillside Celebrates the Success of the 'Husky Dash'

To celebrate a decade of educational excellence, nearly 300 runners turned out to support Hillside Elementary during its first annual Husky Dash 5K on March 3.

Despite a night of intense rainstorms and a menacing, rainy sky the following morning, the Husky Dash was a huge success, say school leaders. Volunteers came out in the wind and rain to set up for the 5K, Sammy Rosenberg kept the energy level high as the awesome DJ and MC, and runners of all ages braved the cold to tackle a challenging, but fun, race course. 

As everybody cheered on the runners as they crossed the finish line, spirits were high and the atmosphere was festive.

Thirteen year old Alexander Augusta stated, "As a Hillside Alumni I was so proud to run the Hillside Husky 5K dash.  They are number 1 in my heart and number one in my feet."

“While planning this inaugural event, we were unsure about the response from the community. But in the end, what a response it was," said Leah Ward, Hillside's co-president for the PTA. "We had seasoned runners and those that weren’t even sure what a 5K was; we received tremendous sponsorship from local establishments and corporate names; we had participation from Hillside families, teachers and staff as well as alumni and community neighbors  And even though the weather threw us quite a curve ball, it was wonderful to see so many smiling faces enjoying exercise and fellowship in the freezing cold all in support of their school and community. We are already looking forward to next years’ Dash.”

As technology plays such a critical role in student education, 100 percent of the proceeds from the Husky Dash will be used to upgrade and improve technology at Hillside to better equip our students for learning in the 21st century.