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EBEF Bear Crawl

BY ANVITHA MANI

NOVEMBER 30, 2025, 12:26 P.M.

On November 16th, the East Brunswick Education Foundation held its annual Bear Crawl, a 5K race to raise money for co-curricular and extracurricular activities in the East Brunswick School District. The event began bright and early at 7:15 am, when hundreds of participants lined up at the starting line, ready to give it their all. 

Eliana Brown, a Junior, said, “It was really thrilling to see people’s energy while running in the bear crawl. Their ambition was contagious and I enjoyed cheering them on.”

As the first few runners began to cross the finish line, the energy was at an all-time high. The fastest time for completing the race was eighteen minutes and twenty-four seconds, completed by Mason Johnson from East Windsor. Many other athletes placed first in their categories, like Leilani Gopal, Areeyoka John, and Michael Solimini. 

Volunteers and students played a major role in making this event possible, helping to set up, clean up, and ensure the participants were well attended to. Some even stood at the edges of the track, cheering the runners on. 

Anna Sadowski, EBHS Junior and EBEF Student Association secretary, said, “I think the runners really were excited about the event, and I was happy to help. They all really enjoyed the event.” 

Additionally, the Bear Crawl truly demonstrated how township events like these can bring together so many different types of people. 

Emma Espinal Duverge, a Junior, said, “The bear crawl showed how strong our community is. I especially enjoyed cheering on the runners, and sometimes they would even cheer me on back. It definitely showed our support for one another.” 

As the race concluded, there were many activities to participate in. Some of these included massages, snacks, activities with the EBEA and the EBEFSA, a STEAM kit raffle, sweet treats, and spirit wear raffles with various district PTAs. 

By engaging the community to run for a great cause, this event made its mark as one to remember for the 2025 school year.