POLSON — It’s important for kids to feel like they belong — no one knows that better than a middle school teacher.

In 2009, Polson Middle School gym teacher Cindy Templer started a running group for seventh and eighth grade girls. They called it “Team They” because “[In school], we’re always saying, who’s ‘they’ and why do we listen to them?” she said. “We decided that we’d be Team They, and we’d be the ones telling something.”

There were no organized practices; no mandatory training regimen, just a team T-shirt and a guarantee that if you show up for a local running event, you’ll have a friend to run with and plenty of cheerleaders along the way.

This year, language arts teacher Deanna McElwee has expanded the idea to accommodate more middle schoolers, both boys and girls in fifth and sixth grades. Playing off the Team They name, the younger group calls themselves “Team Us” and sports T-shirts that say “I RUN for US.”

“We ask them to try to be involved in two of the five races that are held during the school year,” McElwee said.

Being involved could mean anything from participating actively in the race, helping at the aid stations or even just standing and helping with directions along the course.

“It’s about participating and not about getting first place,” McElwee said. “We try to have a family environment and encourage each other. The great thing is, they come to realize, ‘hey it’s OK for me to do this even if I’m not a real “runner” runner.’”

Eight kids from Team Us signed up for the Live Locally 5K on Oct. 22. Last Saturday, at the Monster Mash Fun Run, 16 runners toed the line. About 30 have joined the group so far.

“They’re getting to know each other,” McElwee said. “We talked about having a group breakfast, going for an after school jog one day, just do something to touch base with each other.”

What’s great, she said, is that it gets kids actively involved in positive community events, but it’s not only the students who benefit from the encouragement. Four out of the eight kids who did the Live Locally race also brought a parent to participate in the event. At the Monster Mash, kids were registering with their entire families.

“If they can get their families involved, then it’s another positive family activity that they can do together,” McElwee said. “I know there are a lot of adults that are intimidated to go to a race or chose to participate in something like that. I think that the earlier we can get them involved and willing to participate, the better. There are so many positive things that come out of it and so many positive role models at those events.”

Local race organizers have already stepped up to help out the cause, offering discount entry fees for team members and specifically thanking them for their participation during post-race awards.

“Middle school kids need to know that people enjoy having them around; that’s a great feeling for them to be seen in a positive way,” McElwee said. “It’s not just good for the kids, it’s good for the community to see middle school kids doing something positive.”

There are times where a student would like to participate in a race, but doesn’t have the funds to do so. For that reason, and to help fund team pre- and post-race get-togethers, Templer created a checking account for donations, allowing the community to help sponsor the program.

“We make them little gift bags on race day so they have something else to look forward to,” McElwee said. “We just don’t want anybody to not come because they can’t afford it.”

For the first year, Team Us kids didn’t even have to purchase team shirts.

“My husband, Chris, had 70 extra T-shirts donated by the New York Road Runners Foundation’s National Running Day promotion last year,” McElwee said. “I told him, don’t take those shirts to the thrift store, I’ll use them!”

As she waited by the finish line of the Monster Mash on Saturday, Templer, who has coached for 27 years, said nothing has been as rewarding as watching Team They grow and prosper.

“The feeling you get to see kids and how they’re responding to that — just to see the confidence — they go to school and they’re proud of it,” she said. “Here they are, belonging to something — it’s huge.”