Sequim elementary students are readying to run at Helen Haller before Thanksgiving.

Students in grades K-5 seek at least $20,000 in donations for the second annual Turkey Trot on Nov. 22 to support a new robotics system, a summer reading program, and various classroom projects.

Tennille Bixby, Helen Haller Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) board secretary, said board members sought projects that would reach all of the school’s population. That includes a new robotics program run through Kindle tablets for Nessa Goldman’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) class. Students also seek support for the school to purchase six books for each student to pick out and keep before summer begins.

Bixby said students all received the books before summer last school year and it was a big hit and that teachers report they didn’t see a “summer slide” where students dip in their reading abilities.

Last year, the PTO and students raised more than $15,600 through the Turkey Trot to purchase the books and a Heart Tech Plus system that displays biofeedback metrics for group fitness activities.

For the Turkey Trot, students are given about 30 minutes to run and see how many laps they can complete, Bixby said.

Students and classes earn chances for prizes such as a ride in a fire truck or a trip to Great Wolf Lodge by fundraising the most money and/or running the most laps.

Each student can setup an account to fundraise and there is a general account available here http://tinyurl.com/yb3hn4ol or by searching facebook.com/HelenHallerPTO.

For more information, contact Helen Haller Elementary, 350 W. Fir St., at 360-582-3200.