Eisenhower Elementary School students cheered for kindergarten teacher Jami Marseilles recently while their beloved teacher set a world record as the first female bilateral amputee to complete the Boston Marathon. After completing the marathon, Marseilles threw the first pitch at a Boston Red Sox game.
Eisenhower students used a mobile application to track her progress as a way to run the marathon with Marseilles. Separated by grade level, students ran a lap around the school each time Marseilles completed checkpoints in Boston at the 10K, half, 30K, 35K, 40K and finish.
Eisenhower Elementary School students cheered for kindergarten teacher Jami Marseilles recently while their beloved teacher set a world record as the first female bilateral amputee to complete the Boston Marathon. After completing the marathon, Marseilles threw the first pitch at a Boston Red Sox game.
Eisenhower students used a mobile application to track her progress as a way to run the marathon with Marseilles. Separated by grade level, students ran a lap around the school each time Marseilles completed checkpoints in Boston at the 10K, half, 30K, 35K, 40K and finish.
Marseilles lost her legs to frostbite more than two decades ago when her car became stuck in a snow embankment and she and a friend were stranded for more than a week.
She ran the Chicago Marathon to qualify for the Boston race, an important accomplishment that allowed her to show support for the victims who lost their limbs in the Boston Marathon bombing three years ago.
“Jami is the type of teacher who inspires and motivates every student she meets,” said George West, Garden Grove Unified Board of Education president. “She is a living example of perseverance and what it looks like to overcome life’s most challenging obstacles.”
Marseilles has run five half marathons and numerous other races as well as participating in the U.S. Paralympics.
Her colleagues and students at Eisenhower helped her practice her pitch so she'd be successful at the Red Sox game.
