Black Fox Ribbon Cutting
COMMUNITY LEADERS, from left, (partially obscured) Bradley County Commissioner Ed Elkins, Herbert Lackey of Black Fox Elementary, Andrea Lockerby of Coordinated School Health, Terry Gallaher of the Healthy Community Initative, Cleveland/ Bradley County Greenway board Chair Cameron Fisher and Coleman Foss of SkyRidge Medical Center, participated in the dedication of the Fox TROT Greenway at Black Fox Elementary School. Banner Photos, JOYANNA WEBER
The name of the trail highlights the school’s commitment to outdoor activity. TROT stands for Targeting Recreational Opportunities Together.
The vision for a walking track at the school began back in 2001, when Larry Holcomb, supervisor of facilities for Bradley County Schools, suggested to Principal Kim Fisher that the community would enjoy a walking track.
Now, Fisher knows he was right. She said the public has been using the track ever since it was created.
Fisher said grandparents of students have asked if it is OK to walk on the track during the school day.
“Little guys have learned to ride their bikes out on that trail,” Fisher said.
Fisher said the track was made possible through many partnerships and grants.
“Our group of community partners have changed our school for good,” Fisher said.
The paving was made possible about a year ago through a grant from the Healthy Community Initiative. Additional elements for the track, such as playground equipment for the older students, were made possible through grant funding applied for through Bradley County Coordinated School Health. Many of the people who had contributed to the project — whether through finances or support — were thanked. Each person who played an integral part in the project was presented with the Black Fox Elementary Good Apple Award.
The track encircles the school’s playground and is a third of a mile long.
The school track was also officially named part of the Greenway Network during the ceremony.
Greenway Board member Cameron Fisher presented a Greenway sign for the school to place near the track.
“When your principal, Ms. Fisher, said she wanted the school to have a trail ... I said I wanted that trail to be a part of what we call the Greenway Network,” Fisher told the students. “And, that’s where if you can’t get to The Greenway ... if you can’t drive or walk to The Greenway, then you have a place probably close to where you live, then you can walk in that community.”
Fisher said 10 Bradley County Schools have put in similar tracks in the past six years.
The ceremony ended with a “fitness parade” where all the students and community leaders present completed one lap around the track.
