A group of teachers from a suburban Boston high school created an interdisciplinary curriculum to teach students about the history of marathons, the Boston Globe reported.
The program at Hopkinton High School, called "Desire to Inspire," was suggested by physical education teacher Debra Pinto.
"After what happened in Boston last year, I wanted a way to bring the spirit of the Marathon into our curriculum," said Pinto. "We needed to move forward and tap into the positive spirit."
Pinto added that she and her colleagues have been meeting once a week since the fall to discuss how to fully implement all of the lessons from a marathon that the students could learn from.
In math courses, students will use marathon times in various calculations, and in science class, students will learn about endurance training and discover how nutrition can affect performance. Additionally, history teachers will teach students about marathons starting from their very inception in Ancient Greece up until present day.
Though the idea for the curriculum was inspired following the tragic events at last year's Boston Marathon, Pinto said she hopes the program is taken up at other schools as well.
"The idea is that we wanted to share it with schools along the marathon route from Hopkinton to Boston, and then share it with the rest of the world," Pinto said.
Karen White, who works in the state's Department of Education, believes that other schools will eventually catch on.
"Teachers can develop curriculum," said White. "Show them how, and give them the resources, and we now have a wonderful model that we're hoping can be added to the repertoire of what's available."
