Boston Marathon runner and speaker Dave McGillivray visited Thomas Blake Middle School on Tuesday, Sept. 8 for a kickoff assembly. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
MEDFIELD — Thomas Blake Middle School welcomed students into the new academic year with a kickoff assembly featuring Boston Marathon runner and speaker Dave McGillivray.
On Tuesday, Sept. 8, McGillivray, who has run the Boston Marathon 54 times consecutively and directed or consulted on over 1,400 athletic events worldwide, spoke to Blake students at a school-wide assembly.
McGillivray brought his philosophy of building self-esteem within young people through physical activity, reading and kind gestures to Blake. He spoke to students about his own experiences and achievements to share messages of believing in yourself, tackling challenges one step at a time and persevering through difficult situations.
The assembly reflected on this year’s school-wide theme of agency. Throughout the year, students will explore their ability to make choices, take action and make an impact on their own lives and the world around them.
During his talk, McGillivray encouraged students to think about the agency they possess, or as McGillivray phrased it, the “race they run.” Students reflected on their personal “races” and what might help them succeed.
After the assembly, students participated in an activity titled “What Race Are You Running?” Through the activity, students identified a goal or cause important to them and outlined steps that they can take to achieve their mission, or complete the race they are running.
Students created a vision board that displayed their ideas on an image of a shoe. Students tailored the image to make it their own, writing their goal on the shoe and surrounding it with colors, designs, symbols and songs that reflected their goal and journey. Students listed steps they will take to accomplish their goal behind the shoe, and included potential obstacles they might encounter written underneath the shoe.
The activity encouraged students to discuss “races” they can run together and reflect on how the year’s theme of agency was incorporated into the assembly and activity.
McGillivray’s message also made an impression beyond the school day, according to feedback shared by one Blake parent.
“I just wanted to say thank you to the staff members responsible for bringing the speaker to Blake,” said the parent of a Blake student. “My child got in the car and said with such joy and enthusiasm, ‘We had the best assembly and speaker ever today!’ She then went on for nearly 20 minutes about all that he shared, how she connected with it and how appreciative she was that she had this experience at school.”
“We were extremely grateful to Dave McGillivray for visiting and taking the time to speak with our students,” said Principal Nat Vaughn. “His words encouraged our students to believe in themselves and their goals. Through the assembly and the ‘What Race Are You Running?’ activity, students took time to consider the agency they each have and how they might use it to achieve their goals.”
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Boston Marathon runner and speaker Dave McGillivray, right, spoke with students after the assembly. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
Boston Marathon runner and speaker Dave McGillivray, left, posed with Thomas Blake Middle School Principal Nat Vaughn. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
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