Student wins walking club, gives away $100 prize | Community Spirit

What a great story today from Tyler's Andy Woods Elementary. Way to go, Mark!

Teachers and school officials can send more great stories like this about your school's students of any age to WhereYouLive@kltv.com to let East Texas know how great our kids are!

Released by Tyler ISD:

Fifth grader Mark Costanza laced up his tennis shoes and walked around the track at Andy Woods Elementary School as part of the early morning walking club. In the past six weeks he walked a total of 123 laps, or 12.3 miles around the track, making him this year’s walking club winner.

As a reward for his hard work, Mark received $100 to go shopping with the coaches to buy a new pair of shoes. Instead, he gave his winnings away.

"About two weeks before the walking club ended Mark came to me and asked if he had to use the money for himself," Andy Woods Physical Education Coach Happi Byrne said. "I told him he didn’t, and he said he wanted to give the money to second grader Jordan Samples, who was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor last year."

Over the past few months, Jordan has made huge progress through multiple surgeries and therapy, and Mark wanted to reward him for his hard work.

"It was wonderful to see such an incredible act of kindness between one student and another," Mrs. Byrne said.

Last week Mark and Jordan, along with family members and coaches from Andy Woods, went shopping at Academy Sports and Outdoors and helped Jordan pick out his new shoes.

First though fifth grade students at Andy Woods walked a total of 8,159 laps, or 815.9 miles, during this year’s early morning walking club.