Jay Days Update: Taylor Tigers and their Team Leader are Recognized

This summer, during our inaugural Jay Days campaign, we share Jay stories and also introduce you to some new Jay Walkers traditions -- things that I would say are "so Jay."

This week, I had the privilege to travel to Arlington, VA, to meet a group of teachers from Taylor Elementary School. These teachers make up the Taylor Tigers, a mighty team in last year's Jay Walkers Challenge.

On September 1, 2025, the Taylor Tigers accepted The Challenge to collectively complete 800,000 before the end of the month. By September 30, the team had exceed their goal four times over. The Taylor Tigers, led by team leader Eric Bowers, closed out The Challenge with 3,339,300 steps and solidified their standing as the first place team on the steps leaderboard.

To recognize their achievement, I presented the team with a beautiful plaque to display in their teachers' lounge.

Taylor Tiger Team Members

Charlotte Barker

Elizabeth Barker

Ashlee Belmont

Chad Belmont

Clark Bowers

Eric Bowers

Joan Bowers

Kathryn Dekraai

jennifer hammons

Lauren Lachewitz

Allison Owens

Emily Pardi

Megan Pavelich

Jennifer Rachlin

Cris Richardson

Deborah Robinson

Katie Ross

Chris Simpson

Julia Walker

I also wanted to recognize team leader, Eric Bowers. On his own, Eric led the Taylor Tigers to amazing feats in 2025. In addition to the over 3 million steps, the Taylor Tigers raised over $1000 in peer-to-peer fundraising, and they ended the Challenge with 20 team members. To achieve this, Eric stepped up his team leader game. He walked, talked, recruited, and led. Eric stands among the best of the best Jay Walkers team leaders!

About Eric

Eric Bowers is a P.E. Teacher in Arlington Public Schools in Virginia. He is celebrated for his positive and collaborative approach with students, families, colleagues, and administrators during the school day. After school, Eric gives generously of his time to other APS students, coaching track and field at Yorktown High, and assisting with the marching band at Wakefield.

Even with that full plate of regular and extracurricular activities, Eric still makes time to pursue his personal passion of training and competing in the World Ninja League. He has chronicled his ninja league journey on social media. In true Eric fashion, his platform isn't just about himself, but also a space to offer positivity and encouragement to others. Eric's posts often feature inspiring quotes from famous thinkers and include the hashtag #mentalhealthawareness.

Special Recognition

To honor Eric, and others like him, whose contributions to Jay Walkers are exceptional, I wanted to do it in a "very Jay" way. Since Jay was a huge Lego fan, we will create Lego minifigs to commemorate our top Jay Walkers!

Check out our first ever minifig award, presented on June 10, 2026, to Eric Bowers, top team leader for Jay Walkers and ninja league warrior!

To learn more about his ninja league experiences, be sure to follow Eric on Facebook and Youtube.

And if you're inspired to walk in Eric's footsteps with Jay Walkers, register today for our 2026 Jay Walkers Challenge!

Register Now!