The Power of a Squad
“Come on! We’ve got this!” A group rounds the corner, breathing hard. One runner begins to drift behind and without hesitation another slows down and comes alongside. “Just a little more. We almost hit the record. I’ll run with you.” The pace picks up again. They finish together. No one is left behind.
Later, one runner smiled and admitted, “I’m really not a runner. Everyone else was doing it and I thought maybe it would be good for me too.” A week later, that same runner shared, “I can’t believe I ran two miles. I’ve never run that far in my life.” These weren’t members of a local running club, they were Adventure studio learners.
Over the past few weeks, what began as a few learners choosing to run during afternoon Flow Time has quietly grown into something much bigger. They discovered that sixteen laps around the Acton Main circle equals one mile. One mile became two, then two became three. This week they made it official by creating a club called No Rest, electing a Captain and Vice-Captain, and encouraging one another to keep showing up.
Watching them, I realized this wasn’t happening because they loved running. It was happening because they had built a community where they wanted one another to keep going. At Acton, that kind of community doesn’t happen by accident.
Every studio is made up of Squads––small teams where every learner belongs. Within every Squad are Running Partners––two learners who intentionally look out for one another. They celebrate wins, notice when someone begins to lose momentum, ask about goals, offer encouragement, and quietly make sure no one gets left behind. Throughout the week, Squads huddle, check in, and reflect together. Little by little, accountability shifts from the Guide to the community itself.
During reflection this week, one learner celebrated, “My win this week was surpassing my running goal and being consistent.” Another wasn’t talking about running at all. “This is the most focused week I’ve ever had at school. I’m proud that I set goals and had support to meet them.” Another learner simply smiled and said, “It felt cool to do more than I thought I could.”
Listening to those reflections, it became difficult to tell where the running ended and the learning began. Whether the goal was running three miles, writing an essay, solving a difficult math problem, or building a new habit, the pattern was remarkably similar. Someone set a goal, someone noticed, someone offered encouragement, someone kept going. Sometimes we’re capable of more than we first believe, not because the challenge becomes easier, but because someone is willing to run beside us.
What I love most is that this isn’t something we ask only of learners. Across the Acton network, Guides have Squads too. They have Running Partners who some meet before sunrise every Monday morning, some meet over Zoom, some meet for coffee. Many of my own Running Partners are fellow Acton leaders. We set goals, celebrate progress, ask hard questions, and remind one another to keep moving forward. It turns out adults need fellow travelers too.
As parents, we naturally spend so much time thinking about who our children are becoming. This week, I found myself wondering something different. Who is running beside you as you become?
Who checks in on your goals? Who encourages you to try something you might never have attempted on your own? Who reminds you that you’re capable of more than you think?
Maybe it’s a lifelong friend. Maybe another Acton parent. Maybe a sibling, a walking partner, a running club, a monthly coffee. Whatever it looks like, don’t underestimate the power of someone who notices, encourages, and simply says, “I’ll run with you.” Because the strongest communities aren’t built by people who never struggle. They’re built by people who quietly decide that no one gets left behind.