On an early April morning, serious runners and energetic students from all over the Coppell community will be standing together at the starting line of Coppell Middle School North.

After a year of hiatus, the Coppell Education Foundation’s annual Red and Black Run to Fund featuring a 5K and Fun Run will return to Coppell at 8:30 a.m. on April 16.

The run will take place around the middle school, Denton Creek Elementary and the CMS North stadium track, and will also include the newly built bridge over Andy Brown Park.

In years past, the run has donated only the elementary school’s physical education departments, but now offers a $2 PE donation for every race entry to the high school as well.

“The more CHS kids that register and say ‘yea, I want $2 to go back to the PE department at CHS,’ then that’s a quick and easy way for them to raise funds for whatever they need,” Coppell High School Principal Mike Jasso said. “PE departments usually need balls and nets and all those kinds of things.”

With the CEF’s mission to award teaching grants and bring learning opportunities to Coppell, it’s easy to see how funds from the run go right back to the students.

“In this case absolutely they do [go back to students],” Jasso said. “The other thing that the Foundation does that impacts students is they award grants in the fall to teachers. We routinely on this campus have three or four winners of grants where they buy equipment for the teachers.”

Jasso plans on running in April and encourages not only students but also faculty to join him.

“It sounds like fun,” Jasso said. “It’s a 5K so it probably wouldn’t require me to do a whole lot more training than what I normally do.”

One such faculty member will be AP Human Geography teacher Ryan Simpson, a seasoned runner who has competed in numerous marathons.

“I’m glad it helps the high school especially,” Simpson said. “I think it will be a really good time.”
The price of the race is discounted for CISD students and staff. You can register for the Red and Black Run to Fund here. Early registration ends April 1.