All 816 students at Brook Park Elementary School went gaga Oct. 23 for the annual Superstar Fun Run fundraiser.
And why not? The event, in its fourth year, raised $58,000 – $14,000 more than 2025 – to purchase new circular lunch tables, and gaga pits that will be a big hit at recess.
Don’t know what gaga pits are? Let’s educate you.
Picture an enclosed area in the shape of an octagon, hexagon or just a circle, made of wood or a plastic composite, where a type of dodgeball is played. It’s wildly popular, and it’s coming to Brook Park in the 2027-28 school year, according to Kelly King, grades K-2 principal and Michael Sorensen, grades 3-5 principal.
The Superstar Fun Run, emceed by school mascot Starburst, an androgenous star-like creature, featured great fall weather and 30 minutes of running for each class in a field adjacent to school. The run includes fun variants like a dancing lap, a skipping lap and even a conga line lap.
All along the running path, parents were present holding signs and cheering.
“It’s a great way for the whole Brook Park community to work together for something for all the kids,” King said, adding the target amount to be raised with $25,000. “Every year, we beat the year before, in families who register and the money raised.”
Students at Brook Park Elementary School went gaga Oct. 23 for the annual Superstar Fun Run fundraiser. 
Students at Brook Park Elementary School went gaga Oct. 23 for the annual Superstar Fun Run fundraiser. 
Students at Brook Park Elementary School went gaga Oct. 23 for the annual Superstar Fun Run fundraiser.
Wrangling kindergartners can be like herding cats, but King insisted that they were enthusiastic, and on their best behavior.
“The kindergarteners are the most excited,” she said. “They’re getting out energy and they’ve never done it before. Some of the other groups have done it before.”
An added plus: Booster is the third-party company the Brook Park Council parent group worked with to coordinate the event. About 80% of students registered through the Booster online platform, and if they did, they received a pass to any Great Wolf Lodge. The closest one around here is in Gurnee.
As for the gaga pits, they will be installed at a TBD time during the 2027-28 school year, as will the new lunch tables. Currently, Brook Park has typical long, rectangular tables. Circular tables are bound to be more fun.
Did King and Sorensen, and even superintendent Ryan Evans, run … and participate in the conga line, for example?
Not exactly.
“We are like cheerleaders, running around everywhere,” Sorensen said. “It’s a pretty fun, exhausting day.”