Derby’s BEST 5K Walk-Run, an event to raise money for educational programs within Derby Public Schools, is scheduled for this Saturday morning.
Organizers are hoping runners and walkers register for the event by Thursday.
It starts on the Division Street side of the Derby Greenway. Parking is available on the newly constructed access road that connects to Division Street next to BJ’s Wholesale, 20 Division St.
This is the second year for Derby’s BEST, which stands for Better Empower the Students and Teachers.
Last year the run-walk raised $3,600.
That money was used to help Derby students. Among the programs financed:
- An after school robotics club at the Irving School
- Science experiments at Irving
- Materials for a math class at the Bradley School
- Books and a bookcase for a fifth grade reading class at Bradley
- A “recipe for reading“ program at Bradley
- Materials for a fifth grade reading class at Bradley
- A reading assessment program at Bradley
- A “Light Box“ for the Irving School
- Musical instruments for a music class at Bradley
Derby’s BEST is hosted by Walnut Hill Community Church in Derby.
Organizers want to raise $7,000 to benefit Derby students this year.
Walt Mayhew, the pastor at Walnut Hill Community Church at the corner of Smith and Ninth streets in Derby, talked about Derby’s BEST Sept. 21 on “Valley Navel Gazing,” this publication’s FM radio/live streaming/podcast.
The full episode is embedded below. The interview with Mayhew starts about seven minutes and 13 seconds into the broadcast. Press play to listen.
Derby’s BEST exists because there is a need within the school district.
The child poverty rate in Derby was 30 percent in 2012, according to The Valley Now: A 2015 Snapshot, a report released earlier this year.
In 2012, Derby Public Schools submitted an application to receive “Alliance District” money from the state. It’s extra state money targeted toward underachieving school districts in Connecticut.
Derby school officials reported at the time that 67 percent of the students at the Irving School in Derby qualified for free or reduced lunches, compared to 23 percent at the Bradley School. Irving and Bradley are the city’s two elementary schools, about 2 miles apart.
In addition, a report released in 2011 from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges raises some serious questions as to whether Derby schools have received enough financial support from the community over the years.
Since then, the district has received an influx of grant money and extra state funding as an “alliance district.”
“Most people who live in Derby realize that we’re a financially stressed community,” Mayhew told the Valley Indy Sept. 21. “Taxes are high and there is always a desire to keep taxes low and therefore minimize spending.”
While the school funding covers the basics of learning, Derby’s BEST provides money for teacher-initiated programs such as the ones described above.
Last year an estimated 300 students participated in the programs funded by the event.
Saturday’s event is family-friendly, by the way. It features a 1‑mile “fun run” for kids 9 and under.
There is a 5K run for the serious runners — and a 1‑mile walk for people who simply want to enhance learning opportunities for Derby students.
Click here for the event’s Facebook page.
Check-in on race day begins at 8 a.m.
The fun run is 8:30 a.m.
The 5K run and 1‑mile walk start at 9 a.m.
Awards with be presented to the top finishers overall and by age group.
To register, or for more information, visit www.derbysbest.org.
