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Dearborn Schools, Students Honor Robert Cipriano At Memorial Cross-Country Meet

DEARBORN (WWJ) - Dearborn Public Schools on Friday honored its former business service director who was fatally beaten with a baseball bat earlier this year -- allegedly by his son.

WWJ's Florence Walton reports nearly 800 Dearborn elementary and middle school students took part in the inaugural Robert Cipriano Memorial Cross Country Meet at Ford Woods Park.

Some of the young students say they've been preparing for the big event since summer.

"We're going to run a mile," one student said.

"Yeah, a whole mile. At our school, four laps around the track is a mile and I did six laps," another student said.

The district decided on an annual cross-country meet because before his death, Cipriano was working with the district's Athletic Directors to create a running program for middle school and elementary students that would encourage competition, lifelong fitness and fun.

"We wanted to create an event that will honor the work that Bob did in Dearborn, help his family and benefit a large number of Dearborn students," Brian Whiston, Dearborn Schools Superintendent, said in a statement.

The meet also helped launch the Robert Cipriano Memorial Scholarship Fund. The $500 scholarship will be awarded to one high school senior from each high school who has participated in either track, cross-country, or baseball. Other details for qualifying for the scholarship will be determined by a district committee.

Cipriano's son, Tucker Cipriano, and a friend have been charged with murder and attempted murder in the April attack that left the elder Cipriano dead in the family's Farmington Hills home. His wife Rose and their 17-year-old son Sal were injured. Catch up on the Cipriano case, here.

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