Students receive second chance at Salem School
Salem Challenge 5K Race
5K (3.1-mile) cross country race Information
Kevin Spradlin
Cumberland Times-News
GRANTSVILLE — Lying on top of a pile of magazines inside the front office of the Salem School in northern Garrett County is a copy of the July 2009 Guideposts publication. On the cover is Major League Baseball outfielder Josh Hamilton.
Salem Challenge 5K Race
5K (3.1-mile) cross country race Information
Kevin Spradlin
Cumberland Times-News
GRANTSVILLE — Lying on top of a pile of magazines inside the front office of the Salem School in northern Garrett County is a copy of the July 2009 Guideposts publication. On the cover is Major League Baseball outfielder Josh Hamilton.
For those who don’t follow America’s favorite pastime, Hamilton is now a two-time All-Star for the Texas Rangers. But the road to success wasn’t easy, and the article details Hamilton’s efforts to control a drug addiction to remain a viable prospect.
The article is the epitome of what Maryland Salem Children’s Trust, situated on a 380-acre campus near New Germany State Park, is all about. Teachers, house parents and staff all follow a Christian-based philosophy in order to give students ages 6 to 18 a second chance. Many of the children treated and educated at Salem School, which offers both residential and day programs, are abused, neglected or abandoned. The feeling of hope is all but gone, said Tom Ruckert, support services director.
The first Salem Challenge 5K run and 1-mile walk is scheduled for July 25 at the multiuse facility, which turns 30 years old next month. Development Director Donna Brenneman said workers have long treated the heart and mind of their students. Now, staff members are focusing on providing opportunities to work out the body as well. Read More
The article is the epitome of what Maryland Salem Children’s Trust, situated on a 380-acre campus near New Germany State Park, is all about. Teachers, house parents and staff all follow a Christian-based philosophy in order to give students ages 6 to 18 a second chance. Many of the children treated and educated at Salem School, which offers both residential and day programs, are abused, neglected or abandoned. The feeling of hope is all but gone, said Tom Ruckert, support services director.
The first Salem Challenge 5K run and 1-mile walk is scheduled for July 25 at the multiuse facility, which turns 30 years old next month. Development Director Donna Brenneman said workers have long treated the heart and mind of their students. Now, staff members are focusing on providing opportunities to work out the body as well. Read More
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Shelly Mohr, head horsemanship instructor at Salem School near Grantsville, and Tom Ruckert, support services director, are coordinating the first Salem Challenge 5K (3.1-mile) cross country run and 1-mile run/walk at the school. The July 25 fundraiser is intended to bring the community to the 380-acre campus.
McFarland overcomes obstacles to finish Salem Challenge 5K
Orellana, Moreland claim running titles in inaugural event
By Kevin Spradlin
TriStateRunnur.com
FROSTBURG — It was somehow fitting that 14-year-old Sydney McFarland finished last in the first Salem Challenge 5K run.
After all, somebody had to. And McFarland, battling asthmatic symptoms, served as good a representative as student at the private Salem School on the Garrett County side of Frostburg of the trials and tribulations many resident students face on a daily basis.
Orellana, Moreland claim running titles in inaugural event
By Kevin Spradlin
TriStateRunnur.com
FROSTBURG — It was somehow fitting that 14-year-old Sydney McFarland finished last in the first Salem Challenge 5K run.
After all, somebody had to. And McFarland, battling asthmatic symptoms, served as good a representative as student at the private Salem School on the Garrett County side of Frostburg of the trials and tribulations many resident students face on a daily basis.
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Just like them, McFarland gutted out a 3.1-mile effort in 53 minutes and 45 seconds. Nothing spectacular, but she made it to the finish line under her own power — thanks, in large part, to her impressive willpower.
At the top of a nearly half-mile long hill early in the second mile, McFarland was holding her stomach with her right hand, taking short steps as she approached the water station and was visibly in pain. To the question of whether she could continue, McFarland couldn’t muster the words to say yes. A nod of her head sufficed, and the Frostburg resident continued her slow but steady journey towards the finish line.
At the top of a nearly half-mile long hill early in the second mile, McFarland was holding her stomach with her right hand, taking short steps as she approached the water station and was visibly in pain. To the question of whether she could continue, McFarland couldn’t muster the words to say yes. A nod of her head sufficed, and the Frostburg resident continued her slow but steady journey towards the finish line.
McFarland was one of 92 runners and walkers to finish the 5K and 1-mile events on the 380-acre campus, which boasts three privately owned homes which serve as long-term shelters for students who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. The run and walk was an effort by Tom Ruckert, support services director, to bring the community to the rural campus which sits next to New Germany State Park.
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Jose Orellana, 18, of Frederick, edged Grantsville’s Cody Brenneman for the 5K win. Both Orellana and Brenneman, 16, were awarded a time of 20:06. Cumberland resident Robbie Taylor, 16, placed third in 20:18 while Luke Smith, 15, of Cumberland, and Ruckert, 56, of Grantsville, both finished in 20:35 and placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
Cumberland area resident Sarah Moreland, 21, cruised to the women’s title in 23:21, an average of 7:31 per mile over the part cross country, part unimproved roads course. Michelle Mohr, 25, of Grantsville, was second — and 22nd overall — in 27:12. Wendy Miller, 24, of Springs, Pa., edged Connie Milligan, 40, of Cumberland, for third place. Miller finished in 28:10 to Milligan’s 28:25.
Contact Kevin at run@mountainMDmarathon.org.
Cumberland area resident Sarah Moreland, 21, cruised to the women’s title in 23:21, an average of 7:31 per mile over the part cross country, part unimproved roads course. Michelle Mohr, 25, of Grantsville, was second — and 22nd overall — in 27:12. Wendy Miller, 24, of Springs, Pa., edged Connie Milligan, 40, of Cumberland, for third place. Miller finished in 28:10 to Milligan’s 28:25.
Contact Kevin at run@mountainMDmarathon.org.
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Sarah Moreland Jose Orellana
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