Molly Barker Comes to McGehee

by Holly M.

January 15 was the day Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run, came to McGehee School to speak. Teachers and students from grades 3^rd and up were filling the seats. Many people were excited and many volunteers were chosen. One of these volunteers was Tom Waguespack, middle school math teacher. One of the reasons Tom Waguespack was chosen was probably that fifth grade, shouted his name clearly as Molly said, “I need a guy.”

 “The fifth grade pretty much shouts my name every day, so it wasn’t a big deal. But having it happen in front of all the teachers and students was kind of weird,” said Tom Waguespack. “As soon as Molly said she needed a guy, I knew the fifth grade would insist I go up there,” says Tom Waguespack. Although Waguespack was standing in front of almost the whole school, he said he was not nervous or afraid because of his work as an admissions director at De La Salle and he was in quite a few plays.

5^th grader Evelyn Argote was one of the students who shouted, “Mr. Waguespack,” with the rest of the 5^th grade. Although she did not do Girls on the Run she thought of Molly as a role model. Evelyn said she enjoyed Molly’s speech very much and thought it was good lesson that she had taught us.

                Molly taught students about friendship, helping others, leadership, and shared some really sweet stories. She was always talking about being yourself, and having a lot of volunteers come up to demonstrate whatever she was explaining. Parker Lacewell, a fifth grade student, said her favorite thing that Molly taught her was about eating healthy and not eating too much of it, even if it is healthy. She says she really appreciated what Molly said and that she came to McGehee in the first place to come and speak. Parker was also one of the girls that shouted Waguespack’s name.

One story Barker told everyone was about a girl that took the Girls on the Run, and never talked, but eventually did. Girls on the Run helped this girl and still help many others today.

Molly Barker working with girls. Photo taken from Start Empathy.