Always on-the-go as an assistant principal at Andover High School, Andover Unified School District 385, Laura Scaglione gets her days started at 4 a.m. with a run even before she hits her school’s doors.

“It kind of helps me start the day with a clear mind,” she said. “It gives me the energy to start the day and gets my day started right. I feel so much better when I get my morning run.”

Scaglione took up running as a hobby to get active after having children while working in a Missouri school district. Thirteen years later, the Andover USD 385 administrator said although she is “not a gifted runner,” she can say she finished the Boston Marathon in the top half of all the race’s runners.

“It was amazing,” she recounted the experience of seeing the thousands of people lining the streets of Beantown, cheering her and the other runners on during the April 15 race. “I draw my energy from people and crowds. It was an amazing experience.”

As a send-off before she left for Boston, Scaglione said she was challenged to what she called a “fake race” in the hallway at Andover High School against Aaron Weatherbie, the school’s choir teacher, that Megan Upton-Tyner, the school’s theatre teacher, helped orchestrate. The “race” was complete with a ribbon at the finish line with students cheering her on.

“I’m just so proud of my students,” she said. “It’s important for them to see that as an adult you can live your dreams.”

Running the 26.2 miles through the streets of Boston was not just a physical and mental accomplishment. Scaglione, a former math teacher, said she was humbled by how Andover High School’s faculty used her participation in the Boston Marathon as a learning opportunity for their students.

“The teachers would send pictures of the students tracking my progress,” she said. “They used it to teach about marathons.”

Lelin George, who teaches English, said he and his students followed Scaglione’s progress online as she ran the marathon. He said more than it being a teachable moment, it was a life lesson for his students.

“It allowed them an opportunity to connect with and see our assistant principal in a different light,” he said, “chasing a dream that requires months of hard work and dedication.”

Chelli Cranmer, an Andover High School business teacher, said she was excited to be able to follow Scaglione online during the race, particularly the last .2 miles and was able to “see” Scaglione’s initials cross the finish line virtually.

“I texted her in the middle of the race and asked her if she was tired because I was tired from watching her fast pace,” Cranmer said, laughing. “It kind of felt like I shared her experience.”

Scaglione qualified for the Boston Marathon when she ran in Tulsa’s marathon in the fall of 2022. She has also qualified for the Chicago Marathon which she will run this October.